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Day 18 Recap: Garcia sinks Juve in Miami, Guirassy double powers Dortmund. Quarterfinal clash now set between Real and the GermaReal Madrid Knock Out Juventusn side.
Real Go Through, But Juventus Exit with Heads Held High
Juventus are out of the Club World Cup, but they leave with honor. At Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the Bianconeri stood toe-to-toe with one of the world’s best, holding Real Madrid for over an hour before falling to a goal by rising star Gonzalo Garcia. It ended 1-0 in favor of Xabi Alonso’s men, who now advance to face Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals.
In the first half, Juve impressed with their courage and structure. After just ten minutes, Yildiz lit up the pitch with a slick one-two with Kolo Muani, whose delicate chip narrowly missed the post, sparking excitement among the Italian fans. Real took control around the half-hour mark, and only a superb save by Di Gregorio denied Bellingham the opener. Valverde tried his luck from distance, but Juventus held strong, going into the break at 0-0.
The breakthrough came in the 54th minute, after sustained pressure from Real early in the second half. Vinicius delivered a cross, Alexander-Arnold flicked it on, and Garcia pounced with a decisive finish. Juventus tried to rally with efforts from Nico Gonzalez, particularly from range, but couldn’t find an equalizer. Instead, they risked conceding again, with Di Gregorio making a string of saves to keep them in the game. Real closed things out with relative calm and deservedly moved on.
Though their journey ends here, Juventus showed maturity and character—promising signs for coach Igor Tudor. After the game, he commented:
“Credit to the guys—they gave everything. We suffered when we had to and created good chances too. Yildiz? I subbed him off as a precaution—I didn’t want to risk an injury.”
Xabi Alonso praised both his team and their opponents:
“We’re happy with the result and the qualification. Juventus played really well. I asked my players to use the width more, and it paid off. Gonzalo Garcia? He has great instincts. Mbappé? He wasn’t at 100%.”
REAL MADRID 1–0 JUVENTUS
Scorer: 54’ Gonzalo Garcia (RM)
REAL MADRID (3-5-2): Courtois; Rüdiger, Tchouaméni, Huijsen; Fran García, Valverde (89′ Ceballos), Bellingham, Alexander-Arnold, Arda Güler (77′ Modric); Gonzalo Garcia (67′ Mbappé), Vinicius. Coach: Xabi Alonso
JUVENTUS (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Rugani (85′ Gatti), Kelly (59′ Nico Gonzalez); A. Costa, Locatelli (85′ McKennie), K. Thuram, Cambiaso; Conceiçao (59′ Kostic), Yildiz (70′ Koopmeiners); Kolo Muani. Coach: Tudor
Booked: 87’ Bellingham (RM)
Guirassy Delivers, But Dortmund Survive Late Monterrey Scare
Borussia Dortmund completed their mission in Atlanta, edging Monterrey 2-1 to book their spot in the quarterfinals—where they’ll now face Real Madrid.
It was a game of two halves: total dominance from Dortmund in the first, followed by real danger in the second, as the Mexican side came close to a comeback—including a disallowed equalizer.
The first-half hero was Serhou Guirassy, who opened the scoring in the 14th minute after combining neatly with Adeyemi. Ten minutes later, the same duo struck again, with Adeyemi assisting for Guirassy’s second.
Still, Monterrey refused to fold. Corona hit the outside of the post, and Deossa tested Kobel with a long-range missile.
The game flipped early in the second half. In the 48th minute, Aguirre whipped in a scrappy ball that Berterame turned in to make it 2-1. From there, Dortmund wobbled. Berterame looked to have equalized again in the 64th, but the goal was ruled offside after VAR review. Coach Niko Kovac responded with defensive changes as Dortmund clung to their narrow lead. In stoppage time, the ever-dangerous Sergio Ramos nearly sent it to extra time with a powerful header, but the score stayed 2-1.
So ends Monterrey’s run—and with it, the dream of a Bellingham brothers showdown in the quarterfinals. Jobe Bellingham, booked in this match, will be suspended and miss the clash against his brother Jude. A real shame. Dortmund advance, but not without lingering doubts.
Post-match reactions:
“We dominated the first half and then really suffered. But I’m proud of the team’s reaction,” said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac. “Now comes Real—it’s going to be a war.”
“We’re full of regret,” admitted Monterrey manager Javier Aguirre. “We played on equal terms against a top side. We deserved at least extra time.”
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2–1 MONTERREY
Scorers: 14’ and 24’ Guirassy (D), 48’ Berterame (M)
BORUSSIA DORTMUND (3-4-1-2): Kobel; Süle, Anton, Bensebaini; Ryerson, Nmecha (71’ Couto), Groß, Svensson; Bellingham (55’ Sabitzer); Guirassy, Adeyemi (71’ Brandt). Coach: Kovac
MONTERREY (4-3-3): Andrada; Aguirre, Medina, Sergio Ramos, Arteaga; Rodriguez, Canales, Deossa; Corona (84’ De la Rosa), Berterame (84’ Ocampos), Torres (85’ Ambriz). Coach: Torrent
Booked: Bellingham, Guirassy (D)
