World Cup: Juventus and Real Madrid aim for the round of 16

European teams continue to gain ground in the Club World Cup. At the end of the second day, Porto and Atlético de Madrid are the only ones whose qualification is in serious danger, with the case of the 'dragons' being the most complex.

The Portuguese have only 1 point out of a possible 6 and must thrash Egyptian Al-Ahly to have qualifying options. However, a draw between Inter Miami and Palmeiras will automatically leave them out.

Atlético, meanwhile, is also obliged to thrash Botafogo to have options, as PSG's victory against Seattle is more than likely. The Brazilian team is one of the revelations, with a surprising victory against the current Champions League champion.

Juventus and Real Madrid won without difficulties on Sunday

On Sunday, Juventus and Real Madrid paved the way for their qualification to the round of 16 with comfortable victories against Wydadd (4-1) and Pachuca (3-1), respectively. The Italians crushed the Moroccan team with goals from Boutouil (own goal), Yildiz (double) and Vlahovic, the latter from a penalty in added time.

The 'Casa Blanca', meanwhile, recovered from the early expulsion of Raúl Asencio and paved the way for their victory with two goals from Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler before the break. Fede Valverde closed the process in the second half, turning Elías Montiel's goal in the 80th minute into something anecdotal.

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Juve is already qualified with 6 points and will define the leader of its group in the third and last match against Manchester City. The 'merengues', meanwhile, have 4 points and only need to draw against Salzburg to qualify as first in their zone.

Salzburg and River Plate get complicated against affordable rivals

The only European team unable to win on Sunday (City should beat Al Ain without problems in the last match of the day) was Salzburg. The Austrian team did not pass the draw against Al Hilal (0-0) and could be eliminated if they lose against Real Madrid in the last match.

A defeat against the 'merengues' and a victory for the Saudi team against Pachuca will put Simone Inzaghi's team in the round of 16. The Mexican team, for the moment, has two defeats and is already eliminated, while the Arabs remain undefeated with two draws.

Another team that got complicated at the close of Saturday's match was River Plate. The Argentinians also failed to break the zero against Monterrey (0-0) and are obliged to defeat Inter Milan in the last match to avoid compromising their qualification.

The Italians, on the other hand, will resolve their pass to the next phase with a draw, regardless of what happens between Monterrey and Urawa Reds. The Japanese team is already eliminated after falling against River (3-1) and Inter (2-1).

The draw between Italians and Mexicans in their debut (1-1) may harm Marcelo Gallardo's team in case the three finish with 5 points, due to the goalless draw against Monterrey. According to FIFA, in case of a triple tie, the number of goals in the direct confrontation defines the two qualified. 

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