Manchester City Triumphs Over Juventus with a 5-2 Victory

Juventus is now set to face Real Madrid in the Round of 16 of the Club World Cup following a heavy 5-2 defeat to Manchester City, which left them as runners-up in Group G.

Both teams had already secured their places in the knockout stage after winning their first two matches against Wydad and Al-Ain, turning this clash into a battle for the top position. The Bianconeri, having scored one more goal than City, could afford a draw and opted for six changes, including the return of Dusan Vlahovic and Filip Kostić, who made his first appearance in over a year since his loan to Fenerbahce. Meanwhile, City welcomed back Ballon d'Or winner Rodri for his first start since suffering a severe knee injury in September 2024, although Erling Haaland began the match on the bench.

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The match began with a warning sign for Juventus as Michele Di Gregorio denied Bernardo Silva early on after Rayan Ait-Nouri outpaced Manuel Locatelli down the left flank. Shortly after, Ait-Nouri capitalized on Alberto Costa's lapse in concentration, allowing Jeremy Doku to cut inside Pierre Kalulu and find the far bottom corner.

Juventus squandered a prime opportunity to equalize when Vlahovic scuffed a shot from 12 yards after a well-placed roll from Costa. Just moments later, Ederson misplayed a ball from the back, allowing Teun Koopmeiners to intercept and score from a tight angle.

The mistakes continued for Juventus as Kalulu, unmarked, deflected a pull-back from Matheus Nunes into his own net from eight yards out. Di Gregorio made a crucial save to parry an Ait-Nouri shot from distance and just managed to tip an Omar Marmoush strike around the post.

Haaland entered the fray at halftime and nearly scored within a minute, narrowly missing a connection with a Savinho pass. However, he soon found the net, bundling a Matheus Nunes assist over the line despite a poor touch from close range, as Koopmeiners failed to track the run.

Kenan Yildiz, who came off the bench, nearly added to the score but shot just wide. Juventus faced further setbacks as Nicolò Savona suffered a sprained ankle, and Vlahovic missed a one-on-one chance against Ederson with a chipped effort.

Haaland's first touch from a long clearance by Ederson set up a lay-off intended for Phil Foden, which ultimately led to a tap-in assisted by Savinho. Di Gregorio made a remarkable save against Haaland, but the ball fell to Savinho, who unleashed a stunning shot off the underside of the bar with his weaker right foot.

Juventus managed to slightly reduce the deficit when Kenan Yildiz found Vlahovic with a clever through ball. Di Gregorio remained alert in stoppage time, denying Rayan Cherki in a one-on-one situation.

Goals:

• Doku 9' (M)
• Koopmeiners 11' (J)
• Kalulu (og) 26' (M)
• Haaland 52' (M)
• Foden 69' (M)
• Savinho 76' (M)
• Vlahovic 85' (J)

Portugal advances, Ronaldo scores 2 to reach 109 goals

Cristiano Ronaldo scored two penalties to tie the overall men’s scoring record with 109 goals and Portugal advanced to the round of 16 at the European Championship after a 2-2 draw with France on Wednesday. Ronaldo's tournament-leading fourth and fifth goals moved him level with former Iran striker Ali Daei at 109, while also extending his overall tournament record to 14. Karim Benzema scored both of France's goals, his first ever at the tournament after failing to find the target at Euro 2008 and 2012. Defending champion Portugal finished in third place in the group, one spot behind Germany. France, which had already qualified, was first.

Ronaldo scored the opening goal in the 31st minute and then equalized from the spot in the 60th after Benzema put World Cup champion France ahead 2-1 shortly after halftime from Paul Pogba’s pass. Benzema also scored a penalty in first-half injury time after Kylian Mbappe was fouled. It was Benzema’s first international goal in nearly six years after losing his place in the team following a fallout with coach Didier Deschamps. Pogba almost scored a winner for France midway through the second half, but Portugal goalkeeper Rui Patricio made a superb one-handed save to tip his curling shot off the crossbar and then saved Antoine Griezmann’s follow up shot. France will face Switzerland in the next round and Portugal will take on Belgium. The 36-year-old Ronaldo’s historic run began 17 years ago when he scored his first goal for Portugal in a 2-1 loss to Greece during the group stage at Euro 2004. Before Wednesday, he had never previously scored against France. He put that right, but only after teammate Danilo had received treatment on the field after France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris misread a free kick and punched Danilo’s face. Lloris was shown a yellow card by Spanish referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who then immediately signaled for medical assistance and awarded a penalty. Danilo’s legs were writhing for a few seconds as he received treatment from medics. France was given a penalty just before halftime after Nelson Semedo cut across Mbappe as he was running to meet another pass from Pogba. The decision stood following a quick video review. Benzema had missed his previous penalty for Les Bleus on his international comeback in a friendly against against Wales earlier this month. He didn't mis this time. Ronaldo went to shake Benzema's hand and even put his arm around him as they walked off smiling at halftime. They then swapped jerseys as they walked down the tunnel.