Real Madrid eased past Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final to get their fifth trophy of the calendar year, with goals coming from Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. Here are three quick observations from a routine win.
### Jude Bellingham puts in yet another good performance
Jude Bellingham has been on fire as of late. Actually, he has been talismanic as of late, but just because he has not scored goals all season like he did last time around does not mean he has had a bad season, or is a late bloomer.
Bellingham has been good all year. He has done well in whatever role Carlo Ancelotti has put him in, it is just that the roles he has been put in sometimes did not require him to score goals. He was plenty good without them — the goals were just a cherry on top, which sometimes was necessary for wins and draws.
He has been exceptionally good in the last couple of months, though, and the form continued into another competition, another final. It was a game like the start of the season where, although he did not register a goal or an assist, he was crucial to the team’s success.
The onus was on the offensive side of things, but Bellingham was good, as always, all over the pitch. In three successive sequences, you could probably find him: 1) in the attack, playing a beautiful pass to Vinicius Jr, 2) carrying the ball from point A to point B, dribbling past countless Pachuca players in the process, or, 3) winning possession alongside Lucas Vazquez or Fran Garcia.
Bellingham played like a true box-to-box, and although he was involved in the attack a fair bit, the way he moved with the ball was exquisite, and, at times, made you jump out of your seat.
The way the Englishman defended like a warrior in the defensive end should not make any sense after all that he provided in the remaining two-thirds of the pitch, but when you watch a workaholic like Bellingham play for a couple of seasons, you get used to it.
### Was there really a need to start Real Madrid’s best XI?
You could argue that the team needs to play more and more games together to improve chemistry and get to know how they have to play in this system, without Toni Kroos and with Mbappe. You could argue that players on the pitch need it for confidence and continuity, which is why it was important for them to start.
The question still remains: did they need to play the entire 90 minutes? Was there a need to play the _gala XI?_ Was there a need to risk injuries in a game that was not considered to be a particularly tough game. Surprises are common in football, and, besides, Ancelotti did say they were taking this competition seriously, which makes sense. Winning a trophy definitely helps with morale and confidence, but I do think there is a world where Real Madrid win this final without having to start some of the players that started today.
There were several players in the team who could have used the minutes. Raul Asencio has yet to have a bad performance for the first team, but he only saw the pitch towards the end of the game. Endrick has not played much this season, and he remained on the bench for the entire game. There were other Castilla players that could have given the first team players some rest once it was ‘confirmed’ that Real Madrid were going to win the game.
It also gave Ancelotti a chance to try things for the future that he would not have had a chance to see in other games, for example, playing Lorenzo Aguado or Raul Asencio (it was reported that he was being tested out as right back during training). Asencio did come on, but he only played two minutes, which in reality could have been 20 if Ancelotti actually wanted to see how everything works with him there.
These sorts of things baffle the most passionate Ancelotti supporters. Real Madrid won without any injuries, which is a good thing, but it would have been a very different story if there was an injury in a game they could have won without a chunk of the players who played it.
### Some notes from the game
It was a 3-0 win. A clean sheet. Real Madrid did not concede any goals. It’s a good thing. However, something that will inevitably go under the radar because of the trophy being lifted is how easy it was for Pachuca to get to Real Madrid’s box, and how laboured Real Madrid looked when they were trying to create chances in the first half. It is not a huge issue, but Real Madrid did struggle in the first few minutes of the game, and it is something they need to work on collectively.
Real Madrid also conceded an offside goal towards the end of the game, which was similar to two of the three goals Rayo Vallecano were able to put past Thibaut Courtois — an unmarked run into the box. It did not register as a goal tonight, but it has on previous occasions, and could on other, more important nights. Something Ancelotti should have written down in his notepad.
Mbappe looked good. With all due respect to Pachuca, it was not against the toughest of oppositions, but his passing was good, he made good runs and created danger. Solid 60 minutes, and even though this is supposed to be the most underwhelming Mbappe season ever, he still has 13 goals and 3 assists this season, which is not bad for any player in the world. He can still improve, massively so, but these are hopefully encouraging signs.
Vinicius Jr showed once again why he is the best player in the world, and it looked effortless. A beautiful, Karim Benzema-esque assist for the first one which sent Pachuca’s goalkeeper to a different dimension, and then scored a penalty to once again prove that he is made for finals. 14 goals and assists in 12 finals so far. Not easy.