Real Madrid and Vinícius have their best performance at the Club World Cup and advance to the round of 16.

On the third day, he was resurrected. Vinícius Jr., a very discreet player in the first two matches of the Club World Cup, excelled on Thursday with a goal and an assist as Real Madrid thrashed Salzburg 3-0 to face Juventus in the round of 16. The Whites, wearing navy blue tonight, finished the first phase of Group H with seven points (one draw and two wins), without having yet been able to call on Kylian Mbappé, who is suffering from gastroenteritis but is now training normally.

There was a threat of a storm in Philadelphia, and 20 minutes before kickoff, the forecast proved true, with rain and gusty winds marking the entire match at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles. Xabi Alonso surprised everyone by starting with three center backs, a formation he regularly used at Bayer Leverkusen, inserting Aurélien Tchouaméni between Antonio Rüdiger (replacing the suspended Raúl Ausencio) on the right and Dean Huijsen on the left.

The Brazilian scored and assisted Valverde with a backheel.

Salzburg gave away possession from the first minute, and the Merengues, with their high pressure and ease of winning in dangerous areas, controlled the match without any problems. One of the most inspired players of the start was Jude Bellingham. The Briton linked up easily on the right wing with Trent Alexander-Arnold and also created Madrid's first big chance, leaving Vinícius alone in front of the goalkeeper. However, the Brazilian's shot in the 19th minute was saved by a commendable save by Christian Zawieschitzky.

The dynamic changed midway through the match. After a couple of dangerous approaches, Salzburg gained confidence and took a step forward, while Madrid, somewhat hesitant at the back, looked uncomfortable. But the gaps Salzburg left behind proved costly.

Fran García snatched a ball with the Austrians all focused, and Bellingham created a precise and beautiful pass for Vinícius, who, on the run, cut inside an opponent and perfectly crossed with his left foot from the edge of the area in the 40th minute. That goal suited the Brazilian perfectly, who had not found the net in the tournament until now, who had not scored for Madrid since April 16, and who still had time for another gem before the break.

'Vini' found space behind the opposing defence again and, with an exquisite backheel reminiscent of Guti's illustrious gesture for Karim Benzema in 2010, left Fede Valverde alone to easily score the second in the 48th minute.

With the score in their favor and a pass in hand, Madrid came out a bit lacking in energy in the second half, and Salzburg tried their luck, spurred on by the introduction of a spunky Adam Daghim up front. The goal that would have provided excitement until the end didn't come, despite Madrid playing with fire at times, but Thibaut Courtois had to work hard on a save, and Bellingham, omnipresent tonight, cleared a ball off the line from a corner.

Salzburg took risks with nothing left to lose and left plenty of space for Madrid to exploit on the counterattack, until youth player Gonzalo García made it 3-0 in the 84th minute with a superb chipped shot over the goalkeeper. Luka Modric came on in the 66th minute, cheered by the Philadelphia fans, and Rodrygo was also substituted for Alonso. Jacobo Ramón and Brahim Díaz also got minutes for a Madrid side whose focus is now solely on Juventus, their opponents in the round of 16 next Tuesday in Miami (USA), who finished second in Group G after a 5-2 defeat to Manchester City.

"My assist reminded me a lot of Guti's; it's one of the most beautiful of my career."

Vinícius said the assist he provided for Fede Valverde's goal, reminiscent of Guti's legendary backheel for Karim Benzema, was one of the most beautiful of his career. "After I provided the assist, everyone is telling me that (the similarity to Guti's). I haven't seen the video yet, but it did remind me a lot of Guti, who was a legend at this club," he said in a press conference. "I'm very happy with this pass: I think it was one of the most beautiful I've provided in my career. And especially for Fede, who always encourages me a lot," he added. "I feel like these two weeks (with Xabi Alonso) have been very good, where we're gaining confidence and trying to understand as quickly as possible what the manager wants," the Brazilian noted. He also spoke about the 3-5-2 formation used tonight, saying that playing inside is something he already did under Carlo Ancelotti and that he has to adapt, even though it's "a little more difficult" for him due to his traditional winger position. "I have to play a little more inside. I've always liked playing inside because I'm closer to the goal, I can provide more assists, and I can score more goals. The team is playing more compactly, and that's helping us attack and press better and have more possession," he explained.

Technical sheet

0. Salzburg: Christian Zawieschitzky; Stefan Lainer, Joane Gadou, Jacob Rasmussen, Frans Krätzig; Nene Dorgeles (Samson Baidoo, m.89), Soumaïla Diabaté (Yorbe Vertessen, m.73), Mamady Diambou (Adam Daghim, m.45), Oscar Gloukh; Edmund Baidoo (Karim Onisiwo, m.89) and Petar Ratkov (Maurits Kjaergaard, m.45).

Coach: Thomas Letsch.

3. Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger (Jacobo Ramón, d.66), Dean Huijsen, Aurélien Tchouameni, Fran García; Fede Valverde (Dani Ceballos, m.74), Arda Güler (Luka Modric, m.66), Jude Bellingham (Brahim Díaz, m.82); Vinícius Jr. (Rodrygo, m.66) and Gonzalo García.

Coach: Xabi Alonso.

Goals: 0-1, m. 40: Vinícius Jr. 0-2, m.48: Federico Valverde. 0-3, m.84: Gonzalo García.

Referee: Dahane Beida (MAU). No cards shown.

Match details: Matchday 3 of Group H of the Club World Cup played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in front of 64,811 spectators.