On day four of this summer's FIFA World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, here is a round up of how things went for Real Madrid players at the tournament
This summer's FIFA World Cup is well and truly underway, with lots of drama all round. On Sunday, day four of the tournament, there was action for three Real Madrid players. Let's take a look at how they got on, individually and collectively.
To begin, it feels like Arda Guler and Turkey counts as Sunday, considering the game kicked off at 06:00 CET. So, let's get stuck into it. As expected, the Real Madrid man started the game, nominally playing off the right hand side of the attack.
Things did not go expectedly for the Turks, who were priced up as the heavy favourites. After 27 minutes, Australia took the lead through a very good individual goal.
In the second half, Guler's side huffed and puffed, but they could not break down an incredibly organised Australia side. Then, after 75 minutes, they were sucker punched as the Aussies made it 2-0 with a strike from outside the box.
And that is how it finished, a tough 2-0 defeat for Turkey, who still have to play hosts USA on match day three. They had 30 shots throughout the game, but only accumulated 1.36 xG, being mostly limited to potshots from outside the box.
As for Guler himself, it was not his best game, but he overall still played well. He had eight shots, three on target, 105 touches of the ball, drew two fouls, created two chances, and completed 4/4 accurate long balls. He went closest with a free kick that was very well saved towards the bottom corner.
Next up for Turkey is a must win game against Paraguay, on the 20th June at 05:00 CET.
Meanwhile, there was action for Antonio Rudiger and Germany at a more convenient time, as they faced debutants Curacao at 19:00 CET. The Real Madrid defender was named amongst the substitutes, with Julian Nagelsmann opting for Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck instead.
Having taken an early lead, the Germans were stunned when Curacao scored a shock equaliser in the first half. However, by the break it was 3-1, and by full time it was a whopping 7-1 victory.
As for Rudiger himself, he came on in the second half, replacing Tah after 73 minutes. Next time out for Germany is a clash with Ivory Coast on Saturday at 22:00.
Then, to finish off the day, new signing Denzel Dumfries was named in the Netherlands XI by manager Ronald Koeman, as they took on Japan in Group F. After a very slow and boring first half that ended goalless, the game came into life in the second half, finishing with a 2-2 draw after a late, second equaliser from Japan.
As for Dumfries, he played the full 90 minutes. In their next game, they will face Sweden on Saturday at 19:00.
