Sports
Trent Assist Seals Real Madrid Win Over Juventus
Trent Alexander-Arnold registered his first assist as a Real Madrid player as Xabi Alonso’s side beat Juventus to reach the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.
Alexander-Arnold, making his fourth successive start at the tournament, endured a quiet first half at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami but delivered a delicious cross from which Gonzalo Garcia nodded Madrid ahead nine minutes into the second half.
Alonso once again deployed a 5-3-2 system against the record Serie A champions, but his side looked vulnerable defensively in the first half and were fortunate not to fall behind in the early stages.
Randal Kolo Muani spurned a golden opportunity to give Juventus the lead when he sent a looping effort over the crossbar after he was sent racing clear by Kenan Yildiz, who had a powerful long-range drive deflected wide moments later.
Madrid’s best chance of the first half fell to Jude Bellingham, who was denied from a tight angle by the impressive Michele di Gregorio, while Federico Valverde was also thwarted by a magnificent one-handed stop by the 27-year-old.
The Juventus goalkeeper did brilliantly to deny Bellingham and Dean Huijsen early in the second half, but Garcia’s thumping header was too powerful to keep out.
Alonso’s team will face the winners of the last-16 tie between Borussia Dortmund and Monterrey in the quarter-finals this weekend.
What was the main talking point?
Madrid fans will hope Alexander-Arnold’s assist is the first of many.
The full-back set up 92 goals in 354 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions during his time at Anfield – more than any other Premier League defender in that time – and his first goal involvement for the Spanish giants was certainly one to remember.
His whipped delivery for Garcia’s winner was a peach, allowing the 21-year-old to use the power of the cross to direct a firm header beyond Di Gregorio for his third goal at the Club World Cup.
Along with Turkey international Arda Guler, Madrid-born striker Garcia is one of the shining lights in Alonso’s new-look side, who head to the quarter-finals with the wind in their sails after recording their third straight win under their new coach.
Who stood out and who did not?
Garcia’s second-half goal was just reward for another mature performance by the youngster.
The frontman has scored or assisted in every game he has appeared in at the Club World Cup so far, drawing favourable comparisons with former Madrid and Spain international Raul Gonzalez.
Juventus keeper Di Gregorio also impressed, making several outstanding saves either side of half-time to keep Madrid at bay – although he was powerless to prevent Garcia’s header from flying into the roof of the net.
France international Kolo Muani will be bitterly disappointed not to have given Igor Tudor’s team an early lead in Miami. The former Frankfurt man perhaps had too much time to pick his spot after running on to Yildiz’s pass, scooping the ball over the onrushing Thibaut Courtois and on to the roof of the net.
The standout statistics
Di Gregorio made 10 saves in Miami on Sunday, lifting his overall tally at the Club World Cup to 27.
Madrid have now won 14 of their past 15 matches at the Club World Cup, drawing the other against Al-Hilal in their first game at this summer’s tournament.
The Spanish giants have now scored in their past 14 matches in all competitions.
What next for these teams?
Real Madrid face either Dortmund or Monterrey, who play each other in the final last-16 tie, at 21:00 BST on Saturday, 5 July.
Juventus will head to Germany for a training camp later this summer before kicking off their Serie A campaign on the weekend of Saturday, 23 August.
Bbc.com
Argentina captain, Lionel Messi, has pinpointed what his team did wrong against Cape Verde during both sides’ World Cup Round of 32 encounter.
The match ended 1-1 after 90 minutes at the Miami Stadium, but Argentina went on to win 3-2 in extra time.
Diney Borges’ own goal ensured Lionel Scaloni’s side eliminated the Blue Sharks from the competition.
Speaking at his post-match interview after the game, Messi admitted that Argentina couldn’t press Cape Verde properly during the encounter.
According to him, Scaloni’s side was also disjointed against the African side, and their lines were far apart.
“I think we couldn’t press them well, our lines were kind of far apart at times,” Messi said via FIFA’s website.
“When we wanted to jump from the defensive pivot, it was too far a distance for the center-backs, and we ended up a bit disjointed.
“They always had an extra man because we couldn’t match up, and that’s why they kept the ball and made us run, because we couldn’t press them properly.”
Cape Verde head coach Bubista has said they can be proud of their historic run at the FIFA World Cup 2026, Completesports.com reports.
The Blue Stars bowed out of the competition following a 3-2 defeat to defending champions Argentina in Miami.
Blue Stars Put Up Brave Fight
Argentina took the lead twice in the keenly contested encounter and the West Africans answered both times, but with ten minutes to play in extra time a Lionel Messi corner led to an own goal from Diney Borges that sent La Albiceste into the Round of 16.
Messi opened the scoring shortly after the first hydration break, calmly lifting the ball over the advancing Vozinha after bringing down Lisandro Martinez’s precise pass over the top.
Cape Verde equalised in the 59th minute through Deroy Duarte.
Vozinha made several key saves, including blocking Messi from point blank range to send the game to extra time
It took the Albiceleste just two minutes of extra time to retake the lead. Lisandro Martinez collected a loose ball from a corner kick and lashed over Vozinha at the near post.
Cape Verde refused to surrender. Left-back Sidny Lopes Cabral produced one of the goals of the tournament, curling a sensational effort into the top corner from the edge of the box to draw Bubista’s side level for the second time in the contest.
Messi’s corner however caused an own goal that saw Argentina through to the last 16.
Bubista Thumbs Up Players
Bubista said Cape Verde, who were making their maiden World Cup appearance, had dignified themselves with their performances in the competition.
“We dignify what our country is. We drew twice against the world champions, we took it to extra time… More than anything, it’s being proud of our players who were dignified in the World Cup. We showed our identity,” Bubista was quoted by FIFA.com.
Former Black Stars captain Asamoah Gyan has delivered a candid assessment of Ghana’s performance following the team’s 1-0 defeat to Colombia, describing the display as below the expected standard and insisting the South Americans fully deserved their victory.
Ghana’s hopes of advancing at the FIFA World Cup came to an end after Colombia capitalised on a first-half opportunity to secure the only goal of the match, sending the Black Stars out of the tournament.
Reacting to the outcome, Ghana’s all-time leading scorer said the Black Stars lacked the intensity and attacking determination required in a match of such importance.
“Today’s performance was below average, no sense of urgency,” Gyan was quoted by Ghana sport platform Joy Online.
Gyan expressed concern about Ghana’s inability to commit enough players forward, particularly after falling behind, noting that the Black Stars struggled to pose sustained attacking threats inside the Colombian penalty area.
“We (Ghana) did not have men in the box.”
Also Read:World Cup 2026: Semenyo Calls On Black Stars To Be More Aggressive With Referees After England Penalty Row
He contrasted Ghana’s approach with that of Colombia, saying the South Americans maintained their attacking intent even after taking the lead instead of merely defending their advantage.
“Colombia were ahead but kept fighting to score more.”
Summing up the contest, the former Sunderland and Al Ain striker conceded that Colombia were the better side on the day.
“To summarise everything, Colombia deserved the win.”
Gyan’s comments add to the growing post-match analysis following Ghana’s exit from the tournament, with several players and football analysts pointing to the team’s struggles in the attacking third despite signs of improvement in defensive organisation under newly appointed head coach Carlos Queiroz.
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