Alexander-Arnold Shines with First Assist as Garcia Fires Real Madrid Past Juventus

 Real Madrid continued their solid start under Xabi Alonso with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Juventus to secure a place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals. The spotlight was firmly on Trent Alexander-Arnold, who recorded his first assist for Los Blancos since his high-profile transfer from Liverpool. The English full-back delivered a trademark whipped cross in the second half, met clinically by young forward Gonzalo Garcia.

Madrid’s performance was a tale of two halves. After a shaky opening period where Juventus looked the more likely to score—Randal Kolo Muani and Kenan Yildiz both going close—the Spanish giants regrouped and dominated the second 45 minutes. Jude Bellingham nearly broke the deadlock before the break, only to be denied by a goal-line clearance, while Federico Valverde tested the goalkeeper with a long-range rocket.

The breakthrough came on 59 minutes, Alexander-Arnold's delivery cutting through Juve's backline and Garcia making no mistake. The 20-year-old striker, a product of Madrid's academy, is staking a strong claim for more minutes after an impactful display. Arda Guler almost doubled the lead shortly after, forcing a sharp save from Michele Di Gregorio.

Although Kylian Mbappe made his return from injury in the closing stages, his lack of rhythm showed, with the Frenchman struggling to sync with Madrid's flowing attack. Nevertheless, Alonso’s side saw out the win, securing back-to-back clean sheets in the tournament and setting up what promises to be a more demanding test in the quarter-finals.

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