CWC: One great player isn’t enough to shake Real Madrid’s confidence

Who knows how this clash between Real Madrid and Juventus would have ended if it weren’t for the Turin side’s goalkeeper. Real’s attackers fired nearly 20 shots, yet managed to score just one goal. Still, that was enough — Real Madrid won 1-0 and marches on to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the match between Borussia Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns.

The match kicked off with high intensity, and both teams had their chances early on. In the 7th minute, Randal Kolo Muani had a great opportunity to put Juventus ahead but failed to hit the target, sending his shot over the bar after receiving a cross inside the box.

Real Madrid responded quickly. Just two minutes later, Federico Valverde tried his luck from the edge of the area, but his shot whistled just past the left post. In the 11th minute, Kenan Yildiz tested Madrid’s defense with a shot from a promising position, but it was blocked, resulting in a corner for Juventus.

The best chance for Juventus came in the 23rd minute when Francisco Conceicao rose above the defense to head a precise cross toward goal, only to be denied by a superb save from Thibaut Courtois.

Real had their moments too. In the 25th minute, Aurelien Tchouameni’s long-range effort was blocked, and five minutes later, Jude Bellingham found space in the box and fired a low shot toward the center of the goal, but Michele Di Gregorio made a solid stop to keep it scoreless.

Just before halftime, in stoppage time, Valverde unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box, forcing Di Gregorio into a brilliant diving save to his right. Real Madrid earned a corner, but couldn’t convert.

The first half ended goalless, with both sides showing attacking intent but being held back by strong goalkeeping and solid defending.

The second half started with Real Madrid pressing hard for a breakthrough. In the 47th minute, Federico Valverde found himself in a promising position again, connecting with a cross inside the box, but his shot missed the target to the left.

Just three minutes later, Trent Alexander-Arnold had an even better chance. After receiving a precise pass in the box, he blasted the ball high over the bar, letting Juventus off the hook. Moments later, in the 52nd minute, Jude Bellingham went one-on-one with Michele Di Gregorio and aimed for the bottom right corner, but the Juventus keeper reacted brilliantly to keep it out.

The pressure didn’t stop. In the 53rd minute, Dean Huijsen fired a rocket toward the right corner, but Di Gregorio pulled off another fantastic save, conceding a corner.

That corner led to the game’s decisive moment in the 54th minute. Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a perfect cross, and Gonzalo Garcia rose high to head the ball powerfully under the crossbar. Di Gregorio had no chance — Real Madrid took a well-deserved 1–0 lead.

Juventus nearly responded immediately. Francisco Conceicao sent a low shot toward the bottom left corner from the edge of the box in the 56th minute, but Thibaut Courtois made a quick-reflex save to preserve Madrid’s lead.

In the 61st minute, Valverde was again denied by Di Gregorio, who produced what was arguably the best save of the match, diving to stop a low shot aimed for the left side of the net.

Juventus struggled to create clear chances afterward. In the 70th minute, Nicolas Gonzalez sent a poor shot wide from the edge of the area. Two minutes later, Arda Guler latched onto a loose ball just outside the box and aimed for the bottom left corner, but once again, Di Gregorio came to the rescue with a sharp save.

In the 83rd minute, Tchouameni attempted a long-range shot to threaten Juventus’ goal, but Di Gregorio was once again in the right place at the right time.

FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP 2025

1/8 finals

Saturday

Palmeiras - Botafogo 1-0 AET (0-0)

/Paulinho 10/

Benfica - Chelsea 1-4 AET (1-1)

/Di Maria 90+5 pen - James 64, Nkunku 108, Neto 114, Dewsbury-Hall 117/

Sunday

PSG - Inter Miami (4-0)

/Neves 6,39, Aviles 44 og, Hakimi 45+3/

Flamengo - Bayern 2-4 (1-3)

/Gerson 33, Jorginho 55 pen - Pulgar 6 (og), Kane 9, 73, Goretzka 41/

Monday

Inter - Fluminense 0-2 (0-1)

/Cano 3, Hercules 90+3/

Tuesday

Manchester City - Al Hilal 3-4 AET (2-2)

/Silva 9, Haaland 55, Foden 104 - Leonardo 46, 112, Malcom 52, Koulibaly 94/

Real Madrid - Juventus 1-0 (0-0)

/Garcia 54/

Wednesday

04.00: (1.80) Dortmund (3.60) Monterrey (4.60)

***odds are subject to change***