Alexander-Arnold relieved to see Vinicius torment other full-backs

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Trent Alexander-Arnold is relieved to no longer be an opponent of Vinicius Junior, after the brilliant Brazilian helped Real Madrid reach the last 16 of the Club World Cup.

Following a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal and a 3-1 win over Pachuca, Madrid needed to beat Salzburg in Philadelphia on Thursday to be assured of top spot in Group H.

They did so in style, with Vinicius rifling home the opener then assisting Federico Valverde with a clever backheel. Gonzalo Garcia’s late chip then put the gloss on a 3-0 win.

Vinicius memorably tormented Alexander-Arnold when Madrid beat Liverpool in the 2022 Champions League final in Paris.

As well as scoring the only goal of that match after evading Alexander-Arnold at the far post, Vinicius attempted more dribbles (eight) than any other player on the field and had the joint-most touches in the opposition area (five, alongside Karim Benzema).

Against Salzburg, no player attempted more dribbles (six), created more chances (two) or had chances totalling more expected goals (0.67 xG) than Vinicius, and Alexander-Arnold is glad he is now somebody else’s problem.

Speaking to DAZN, the right-back said: “He’s given me a lot of very difficult games in the past, so it’s good for it to be happening to other people rather than me now!”

At this edition of the Club World Cup, only Palmeiras’ Estevao and Fluminense’s Jhon Arias (both five) have registered more shot-ending carries than Vinicius’ four.

Meanwhile, no Madrid player attempted (four) or won (three) more tackles, or made more interceptions (two) than Alexander-Arnold at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday.

But the England international believes the quality of his team-mates has made his period of adaptation easy.

He told The Athletic: “Every player is impressing me.

“From when I played against Real Madrid, I knew all the players were world-class.

“When you come in, you expect it to be very intimidating, you don’t know what to expect. But it was very warm, very welcoming, they made me feel at home straight away, which was amazing.

“It allows me to play as well as I can and today, coming into the game, I was confident enough to go and perform.

“The settlement period is done and it’s about kicking on and being the best player that I can be, helping the team win as many games as possible, starting with this competition.”

Madrid will now face Juventus in the last 16 on Tuesday, while Group H runners-up Al-Hilal will take on Manchester City.