Soccer-Ten players asked to be substituted in sultry condition, Juve coach says

MIAMI, – Ten players asked to be substituted during Juventus’s 1-0 defeat by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Tuesday in humid and hot conditions, coach Igor Tudor said.

Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 70% a punishing combination for the players at the Hard Rock Stadium.

Real prevailed thanks to a Gonzalo Garcia goal to reach the quarter-finals while Kylian Mbappe made his start in the tournament as a second-half substitute.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT

The extreme heat in several cities hosting the Club World Cup has been a focal point in the tournament, which is seen as a dry run for next year’s men’s World Cup.

FIFA have implemented cooling breaks, one per half, and mitigating measures, but some players and coaches have been complaining about the conditions.

KEY QUOTES:

Juventus coach Igor Tudor

On the conditions: “In the end, 10 players asked to be substituted — 10 players asked to come off. It wasn’t possible; the exhaustion was incredible.

“There’s the tension of this match, which burns you energy. Then there’s this heat, which really gets to you… and the third thing that completes the conditions today is playing in this humidity, right? These three things together combined.”

On Mbappe: “How does it change with Mbappe? How do you drive the car? Real Madrid already goes at 200 kilometres per hour, then you add Mbappe and it goes to 250 — and 200 is already a lot. With Mbappe, it’s like adding 50 more.”

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