Following in the footsteps of Inter, Juventus has also been eliminated from the Club World Cup in the Round of 16. The Bianconeri were unable to respond to Gonzalo Garcia`s decisive goal, allowing Xabi Alonso`s Real Madrid side to advance to the quarterfinals. The Italian newspaper La Stampa`s front-page headline captured the sentiment: “Juve, fighting isn`t enough. Against Real it`s 1-0,” alongside the poignant phrase “farewell to the World Cup.”
Speaking after the match, Juventus coach Igor Tudor commented: “It`s a bad feeling because we lost. There`s some regret, but also satisfaction with what the lads gave. They gave everything; ten players wanted to be substituted. Yildiz off? It wasn`t a tactical choice; ten players wanted a substitution. At one point, I wanted to change something else, but then I made that choice. Real is a top-level team, but we gave everything. It`s hard to stop them when they counter-attack.”
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso also shared his thoughts at the end of the encounter: “Happy with the result, the performance, and advancing. We had difficulties in the first 15 minutes; we needed to find our rhythm. I told the boys to stay compact in the middle and look for space on the wings, where we could hurt Juve. Gonzalo Garcia? Fantastic, he has a striker`s instinct. He deserves credit for being in the right place at the right time.”
