Ten players asked to be replaced during the 1-0 defeat of Juventus by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the club World Cup on Tuesday in moist and hot circumstances, said coach Igor Tudor.
Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 70% – a punishing combination for players in the hard rock stage.
Real prevailed thanks to a Gonzalo Garcia goal to reach the quarterfinals, while Kylian Mbappe made his start in the tournament as a replacement for the second half.
The extreme heat in various cities that the Club World Cup organize has been a central point in the tournament, which is seen as a dry run for next year’s Men’s World Cup.
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FIFA has implemented cooling breaks, one per half and soothing measures, but some players and coaches have complained about the conditions.
Under the circumstances, Tudor said: “Eventually 10 players asked to be replaced – 10 players asked to get off. It was not possible; the exhaustion was incredible.
«There is the tension of this competition that you burn energy. Then there is this heat that really touches you … and the third thing that completes the circumstances that plays today plays in this humidity, anyway? These three things combined together.»
