Juventus was eliminated by Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup on Tuesday. With Daniele Rugani in the starting lineup and Teun Koopmeiners as a substitute, the Italian top club lost the cracker in Miami 1-0.
Rugani suddenly appeared in Juventus’ starting eleven because Federico Gatti did not feel fit enough to start. The defender, who was on loan at Ajax last season, played his first game for Juventus since May last year.
It was Rugani’s job, along with the other defenders, to keep the young striker Gonzalo García from scoring. They succeeded for a long time, until García was able to head in an excellent cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 54th minute.
With one goal to his name, García was replaced by Kylian Mbappé halfway through the second half. The French star finally made his first playing minutes in the United States. He was out of action for some time due to acute gastroenteritis.
Juventus midfielder Koopmeiners was also a substitute in Miami, where García turned out to be the maker of the only goal after more than ninety minutes. Due to the narrow defeat, Koopmeiners can finally go on vacation after a long season. The same applies to Rugani, who was substituted in the final phase.
For the players of Real Madrid, a trip home or a sun-drenched holiday destination is not yet in the cards. They will face Borussia Dortmund or Mexico’s Monterrey in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
