Vinícius Júnior scores and assists in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Salzburg to advance in CWC

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vinícius Júnior scored a goal and assisted on another in Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Salzburg on Thursday night that secured the Spanish powerhouse first place in the Club World Cup's Group H and a spot in the round of 16.

Vinícius gave the 64,811 soaking wet fans at Lincoln Financial Field something to cheer for by scoring on a left-footed shot right outside the penalty box in the 40th minute. Jude Bellingham left Vinícius in position to score with a breakaway pass that took advantage of the wet field conditions caused by the rain.

Eight minutes later, a deflected pass by Mamady Diambou left Vinícius one-on-one against Joane Gadou inside Salzburg's penalty box. Having no angle to shoot, Vinícius delivered a backheel pass to Federico Valverde that left the Uruguayan wide open to score from 10 yards out.

Antonio Rüdiger suffered an apparent hamstring injury in the 60th minute after completing a long sprint down the right wing. He continued playing, but was subbed out six minutes later. His availability will be one to watch for Real Madrid's upcoming game as they are thin at the center back position due to multiple injuries and a suspension to Raúl Asencio.

Gonzalo García put the game to bed in the 84th minute with a chip shot after a counterattack he initiated by stealing the ball from Gadou in midfield.

With the win, Real Madrid became the ninth European team to advance to the round of 16. From the 12 European teams in the tournament, only Atlético Madrid, Porto, and Salzburg were eliminated in the group stage.

Vinícius' backheel pass to set up Valverde inside the penalty box to score Madrid's second goal.

Real Madrid finished atop Group H with seven points. Madrid will face Juventus, a 5-2 loser to Manchester City, on Tuesday at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Salzburg finished third in Group H with four points. They were eliminated as Al Hilal finished with five points, one more than the Austrian team, after defeating Pachuca 2-0 on Thursday night.

“Vinícius is essential for us. He has the capacity to do a lot of things for the team without and with the ball. So, I'm really happy for him. We have to keep it up and so does he.” — Real Madrid midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni

"We learned a lot. We played against the best teams in the world, competed at a high level, and that’s what we take out of the tournament from the experience we got. We lost, we won, and we drew. So it’s a lot to learn, but it was good for us.” — Salzburg defender Frans Krätzig

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Fans sit in heavy rain as they watch the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Fans react during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Real Madrid's Gonzalo Garcia, right, kicks the ball past Red Bull Salzburg's goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky to score his team's third goal during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, left, and Red Bull Salzburg's Mamady Diambou compete for the ball during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the Club World Cup Group H soccer match between Salzburg and Real Madrid in Philadelphia, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

DALLAS (AP) — Tyrese Maxey had 34 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, Joel Embiid scored 22 points and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Dallas Mavericks 123-108 on Thursday night.

Rookie guard VJ Edgecombe, the one-and-done player from Baylor playing 100 miles from his college campus for the first time, scored 23 points two nights after hitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds of a 139-136 overtime victory at Memphis.

Oft-injured Anthony Davis returned for Dallas after missing two games with a sore adductor muscle. The 10-time All-Star finished with 13 points and eight rebounds as the Mavs matched their season worst with a fourth consecutive loss.

Rookie No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg scored 12 points for the Mavericks, who were led by Max Christie's 18 points.

Former Maverick Quentin Grimes, part of a different trade last season soon after the infamous swap of Luka Doncic for Davis between Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers, had 19 points, seven rebounds and three blocks.

The 76ers were up six when Grimes had a steal and dunk to trigger his 11-point fourth quarter, when he made all three of his 3-point attempts and had one of his blocks.

Paul George scored 14 points, starting and ending a 17-2 run that gave Philadelphia a 44-37 lead in the second quarter.

The Mavericks shot 65% in the first, taking a 33-27 lead before shooting 38% the rest of the way. Davis and Flagg combined to go 11 of 28 from the field.

Maxey was 14 of 24 with a mix of long-range shooting and deft driving in another strong road performance against his hometown team. Edgecombe finished 9 of 14 as the Sixers shot 53%.

76ers: At the New York Knicks on Saturday to finish a five-game trip.

Mavericks: Host the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond, left, is guarded by Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg dunks on the Philadelphia 76ers during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) tries to steal the ball from Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Philadelphia 76ers guard Vj Edgecombe (77) shoots the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of an NBA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)