Club World Cup updates: Alonso earns first win with Madrid, Juve near to round of 16

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is disconnected and running, and has produced plentifulness of talking points and storylines already. Let's drawback you up connected what's happening, what you've missed and what's inactive to come.

We volition update this record passim each matchday with the latest reporting, investigation and amusive from the competition, truthful cheque backmost regularly for the latest quality arsenic we travel the amusive starring up to the tournament final astatine MetLife Stadium connected July 13.

The lead: Madrid bounce backmost with connection with implicit Pachuca

CHARLOTTE -- The 3-1 scoreline mightiness not suggest it, but Real Madrid suffered successful Charlotte. Raúl Asencio's aboriginal reddish paper meant Madrid had to conflict for astir 90 minutes, with 10 men, successful the North Carolina heat. And their opponents, Pachuca, did their champion to capitalize. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois performed his customary miracles -- making 10 saves -- to support Madrid successful the crippled astatine cardinal moments. But successful the end, this volition person been a satisfying show for manager Xabi Alonso, who saw his squad regroup, reform, and yet flooded adversity.

It wasn't a promising start. Madrid signed fractional a caller defence for this Club World Cup successful Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen; connected the grounds of their 2 games truthful far, they should see investing successful the different half. Against Al Hilal and present Pachuca, mistakes from halfway backmost Asencio person gotten the squad into trouble. In Miami, Asencio's careless foul gave distant a punishment to marque it 1-1 and successful Charlotte, his hopeless pull-back of Salomón Rondón got him sent off.

"Two games, and the aforesaid mistake," Courtois said, pointedly, astatine half-time. "We person to beryllium much intelligent." In his debut quality conference, Alonso talked astir wanting his Madrid squad to beryllium "flexible" and "dynamic." Here, those qualities were connected amusement successful the mode the manager reshaped the broadside aft Asencio's dismissal, arsenic Federico Valverde moved wrong from the close to assistance retired Arda Güler and Jude Bellingham successful midfield.

Alonso has insisted that Madrid signing an other midfielder isn't essential, saying, "We tin beryllium ascendant successful midfield with what we have." Here, Güler's beingness made the difference. He has bulked up implicit the past year; helium nary longer looks similar a fragile teenager, easy brushed disconnected the ball.

Güler says Alonso "sees maine arsenic a cardinal midfielder" aft often being stranded retired wide nether Carlo Ancelotti, and the aboriginal signs warrant that assessment. Madrid's 2 goals successful the archetypal half, from Bellingham and Güler, were good taken, and Güler's was created by different first-half agleam spot: guardant Gonzalo García.

Garcia, 21, has done conscionable astir everything imaginable truthful acold astatine this tourney to marque the lawsuit for Madrid not needing to motion different No. 9. With Kylian Mbappé sick and Endrick injured, Garcia has seized his infinitesimal successful some games. He was Madrid's outstanding subordinate successful the opening 45 minutes astatine Bank of America Stadium earlier being withdrawn astatine half-time. His first-touch, cushioned lay-off for Güler to marque it 2-0 drew appreciative gasps from journalists successful the property box.

Valverde's 3rd extremity made definite of the effect successful the 2nd half, and ensured Elías Montiel's precocious deflected onslaught for Pachuca was conscionable a footnote. Madrid's finishing was remarkably clinical; they had 3 shots connected people and scored 3 goals. It was capable to springiness Alonso his archetypal win. -- Alex Kirkland

Today's apical Club World Cup news

• Pep: Some City players volition beryllium 'sad' if they stay
• Club World Cup: How teams tin scope past 16
• Stones opens up connected Man City wounded nightmare

Sights and sounds astir FIFA Club World Cup

Yildiz shines for Juve, connected people to suffice to adjacent round

PHILADELPHIA -- There are tons of questions swirling astir Juventus. From whether Igor Tudor is worthy of the large seat to what volition hap with Dusan Vlahovic and a batch of different things successful between. Kenan Yildiz is not 1 of them.

The 20-year-old Wunderkind -- his day was lone past period -- bagged 2 goals connected Sunday. However, it should person been a chapeau instrumentality since helium provoked Abdelmounaim Boutouil's ain extremity for the opener, capping disconnected a determination that had 20 passes, to springiness Juve a 4-1 win implicit Wydad AC, which each but seals their spot successful the circular of 16.

When helium made it 2-0, helium showed the long-range method that person earned him comparisons with nonmigratory Juve icon Alessandro Del Piero. The cutback and poise helium showed for Juve's 3rd smacked of a feline who reeks some prime and confidence.

He scored 7 Serie A goals past season, contempt the chaos of Thiago Motta's archetypal six months and contempt playing retired wide arsenic a genuine winger, which is astir apt not his strongest suit. Tudor plays his wide men acold narrower -- Juve are much of a squad who play successful a 3-4-2-1 than a 3-4-3 -- and this gives him country to maneuver and improvise.

A merchandise of the Bayern Munich academy -- his parent is German, his begetter is from Turkey, portion representing the second -- Yildiz is utilized to the spotlight.

His size and athleticism aren't communal among players with his method accomplishment set. And the information that helium has continued to make successful his 3 years astatine Juve -- contempt the challenges enveloping the nine -- speaks to his character.

Italian clubs -- and particularly Juve -- person been traditionally cautious erstwhile it comes to young players and gathering astir them. The fearfulness is that excessively overmuch unit excessively soon tin wounded a player's maturation and performance. By the way, that is what made Del Piero specified an outlier each those years ago: helium was the objection that confirmed the rule.

But Yildiz seems chopped from a antithetic cloth. And looking astatine what's astir him -- Randal Kolo Muani connected loan, Vlahovic a twelvemonth retired from escaped agency, Teun Koopmeiners disappointing successful his archetypal season, Francisco Conceição inconsistent, Nicolás González often injured -- there's a beardown lawsuit to marque that, connected the attacking end, Yildiz ought to beryllium the feline you physique around. -- Gabriele Marcotti

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How Juventus could suffice for the past 16

After Juventus's convincing triumph implicit Wydad AC, they could publication their spot successful the past 16 of the Club World Cup.

Casablanca spell into enactment mode with pyro, but nether a cautious eye

PHILADELPHIA -- Organizers look to beryllium blessed looking the different mode erstwhile it comes to pyrotechnics -- whether fume oregon flares -- astatine the Club World Cup.

This overmuch was evident again astatine the Juventus-Wydad game. Wydad fans -- galore of them portion of organized Ultras protagonist groups who had travelled from Morocco for the tourney -- marched to the crippled amidst a unreality of fume bombs and past proceeded to acceptable disconnected a ample quantity of pyrotechnics aft Thembinkosi Lorch's goal.

Signage astatine Lincoln Financial Field made it wide that pyro of each kinds is strictly prohibited, but the yellowish and green-clad information simply watched connected arsenic the reddish and achromatic fume billowed implicit the Wydad extremity of the stadium.

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Wydad AC fans halt postulation with flares up of Juventus clash

The Wydad AC fans march with flares connected the mode to their Club World Cup crippled against Juventus.

It's a spot of a conundrum. On the 1 hand, pyro tin beryllium dangerous, which is wherefore it is not allowed successful astir grounds, anyplace successful the world. On the different hand, well, it is simply a batch of amusive to ticker (from a distance) and adds a ton of colour (maybe excessively much, due to the fact that astatine immoderate constituent you person to hold for the fume to clear).

FIFA privation the tifo and strength Wydad fans bring, particularly since supporters of European clubs similar Juventus, Chelsea and Manchester City, astatine slightest astatine Lincoln Financial Field, bring each the passionateness of a religion picnic, but astatine immoderate point, the pyro mightiness go a problem. -- Marcotti

Mexican sides inactive winless astatine Club World Cup

Grupo Pachuca suffered a hard setback astatine the Club World Cup, wherever they hoped to person their teams, León and Pachuca, arsenic protagonists.

However, some failed successful the tournament. The archetypal wasn't allowed to enactment successful the event, and the 2nd was eliminated by a Real Madrid that played practically the full lucifer with 10 players.

Goal-scorer Montiel has been the lone redeeming diagnostic of a squad that arrived with a manager hired days earlier the event. There's 1 crippled left, and beyond being indispensable to triumph for honor, the existent situation volition beryllium to debar further ridicule for the Grupo. -- Armando Neria, ESPN Mexico

More updates to come!

Star subordinate of the day

More updates to come!

Match previews, likelihood for Monday

Atlético Madrid vs. Botafogo (Group B; Pasadena, CA, 3 p.m ET)

Odds (via ESPN BET): Atlético Madrid (-135), Draw (+260), Botafogo (+380)

Atlético Madrid are successful trouble. Their opening 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, coupled with Botafogo's awesome 2 wins retired of two, person near Atlético successful a tricky presumption successful Group B. Presuming -- arsenic seems apt -- that PSG bushed Seattle successful the day's different game, it wouldn't beryllium capable for Atlético conscionable to decision Botafogo astatine the Rose Bowl: they indispensable bash truthful by astatine slightest 3 goals. With that operation of results, PSG, Botafogo and Atlético would each beryllium tied connected six points, with PSG and Atlético squeezing done connected extremity difference.

"We cognize we person to win, and people goals," guardant Julián Álvarez said connected Sunday. "It depends connected us, we don't person to hold for immoderate different result. We request to beryllium objective and efficient. It's not astir playing the cleanable crippled -- it's astir not conceding, and scoring." It's easier said than done.

Botafogo defended superbly good successful their 1-0 win implicit PSG, nullifying 1 of Europe's astir talented attacking teams. PSG dominated possession (74.3%) and had 16 shots that day, but created not a azygous "big chance", with an xG of 1.01. If Atlético privation to enactment successful this competition, they'll person to win wherever the Champions League winners failed. -- Kirkland

Seattle Sounders vs. Paris Saint-Germain (Group B; Seattle, WA, 3 p.m. ET)

Odds: Seattle Sounders (+1000), Draw (+600), PSG (-600)

More updates to come!

Porto vs. Al Ahly (Group A; East Rutherford, NJ, 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: Porto (-130), Draw (+290), Al Ahly (+333)

More updates to come!

Inter Miami vs. Palmeiras (Group A; Miami, Fla., 9 p.m. ET)

Odds: Inter Miami (+425), Draw (+140), Palmeiras (+125)

Inter Miami volition look Palmeiras successful their last radical signifier lucifer of the Club World Cup. After beating FC Porto 2-1 with a stunning escaped footwear from Lionel Messi, Miami enters the crippled with favorable chances to suffice for the knockout signifier of the competition.

Defeating Palmeiras by immoderate borderline would warrant the nine a first-place decorativeness with 7 points and the accidental to look the broadside that finishes 2nd successful Group B successful Philadelphia connected June 28, portion a gully allows Miami to clinch 2nd spot successful the radical and inactive suffice for the circular of 16.

If Miami falls to Palmeiras, a fewer scenarios could inactive spot Javier Mascherano's broadside play successful the adjacent signifier of the Club World Cup. A nonaccomplishment to the Brazilian giants, coupled with an Al Ahly nonaccomplishment to Porto, sees Miami look from the radical successful 2nd place. A nonaccomplishment to Palmeiras and an Al Ahly decision implicit Porto would unit a gully successful the radical and automatically trigger the tournament's tiebreaker criteria.

It'll beryllium a contested lucifer betwixt the 2 sides, with Miami labeling their hostile 1 of the astir hard truthful far. Palmeiras confronts Miami aft a goalless gully against Porto and defeating Al Ahly 2-0 to pb the radical with 4 points and a affirmative extremity difference. -- Lizzy Becherano