Match 3 looked much better for Madrid as they were able to control the game better, in addition there were some adjustments with the cooperation and build up of attacks that made them seem much better than before especially for the counter attack schemes with direct passes that resulted in 2 goals in this match although there was a share of Salzburg players but that does not cover the fact that Madrid is improving.
They are through to the Round of 16 now and this could be a new test because of the pot they have now where in this round they will definitely face Juventus which is a new round for them to face one of the strongest opponents especially we can see how Juventus play (although today they lost to City) but they are quite good so far. It's going to be interesting and I'm getting excited to watch this competition.
I agree with you that the match against Salzburg was the best so far for Real Madrid in this championship.
It was seen that the players as if gained confidence in their actions and finally Vinicius scored and even left the ball for Valverde, who scored a goal, and before Vinicius would still hit the goal regardless of whether it was convenient to hit or not.
Apparently Alonso was able to convey to Vinicius that it is necessary not to be greedy in soccer, and give passes to teammates.
Real Madrid is very popular in the USA and apparently Juventus will not be a serious problem for Real, so with a probability of 80% Real should beat Juventus.
It is also good that at least one Arab club got out of the group, because a lot of fans of these clubs came to the USA and the stadiums are well filled when Al hilal plays. However, Al hilal will play with City next round and it will probably be their last game at this championship.
Although it is undeniable that Madrid is still lacking in terms of finishing but in the end they have shown a difference and the finishing problem will clearly be added by Mbappe if he has recovered from his current problem so this gives a hope that is certainly very good for Madrid.
Vini has started to try to change his attitude because to be honest he is one of the very good players but indeed the level of ego is very big making Vini seem to lose his momentum because he always acts alone but when playing against Salzburg there is something that needs to be praised from Vini especially for the assist he gave.
The match against Juventus could be an important thing for Madrid because this could be a benchmark for other European club opponents although it cannot be denied that for now Juventus is a little different but still when they later succeed in beating Juventus then their mentality will certainly increase and this could be a good momentum for Xabi to continue to be able to maintain momentum in the midst of his preparations for the new season.
Today we start in the round of 16 where Botafogo faces Palmeiras. This is not a new meeting for them because Botafogo and Palmeiras are from the same league in Brazil so this is an interesting thing because both clubs certainly have their own quality so it could be a bit difficult. Palmeiras is still quite favored in this match but the first half now ends goalless. But Palmeiras' chances seem to be still quite big to qualify if you look at the dominance they showed in today's match.