Xabi Alonso and Simone Inzaghi began their new managerial tenures at Real Madrid and Al-Hilal, respectively, with a 1-1 draw in the Club World Cup at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
Al-Hilal started the match brightly, creating early chances with an early shot and a free-kick from a dangerous position, but both attempts were kept out of harm's way. Marcos Leonardo received the ball in the box after a counterattack down the right-hand side, but he couldn't quite find the bottom corner.
Real Madrid launched a counter in the 15th minute with a lovely ball to Vinícius Júnior, but the Brazilian star dived and received an early booking for simulation. Just five minutes later, Al-Hilal thought they had taken the lead on the counter, but Renan Lodi's superb finish was ruled out for offside.
Despite the consistent pressure from the Saudi Arabian side, Real Madrid broke the deadlock after 33 minutes as a sliced-through ball reached the feet of 21-year-old star Gonzalo Garcia, who slotted home from close range.
Just six minutes later, Raul Asencio conceded a penalty after deliberately pulling his opponent back to halt play. Despite receiving no booking, it proved a costly mistake as Ruben Neves sent the keeper the wrong way.
Alonso switched the intensity for the second half,f and Real Madrid had two extremely close chances to regain the lead. One hit the crossbar, and Garcia's rebound was pushed away by Bono in goal.
Los Blancos' newest signing, Dean Huijsen, accidentally laid the ball to Leonardo in a dangerous position on the right-hand side of the box, but the striker's attempt hit the side netting.
Real substitute Arda Güler crafted together an effort from 25 yards out, coming within a whisker of restoring the lead. Their midfield centre-piece, Federico Valverde, attempted from outside the box ten minutes later, but the low, slow attempt was easy for Bono to control in goal.
Despite notable names coming onto the pitch to try and make a difference, a last-minute penalty for Madrid arrived after Fran Garcia was hit in the face by defender Hassan Altambakti.
However, Federico Valverde's attempted kick was a tame effort which was easily looked after by Bono. Both teams had to settle for a 1-1 draw to kick-start their Club World Cup campaign.
Real Madrid Statistics Al Hilal
53% Possession (%) 47%
17 Shots (Total) 13
7 Shots on Target 2
4 Corners 6
2 Saves 7
1 Yellow Cards 2
0 Red Cards 0
Real Madrid
4-2-1-3
MixCollage-18-Jun-2025-08-54-PM-4776
GK: Thibaut Courtois - 6.5/10
Aside from the penalty, rock solid in goal as always.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6.5/10
The much-anticipated debut from Trent Alexander-Arnold arrived, and it wasn't an exceptional performance.
CB: Raul Asencio - 5/10
Was subbed off at half-time and gave away the penalty.
CB: Dean Huijsen - 6/10
Didn't offer lots in the game.
LB: Fran Garcia - 6.5/10
Was the best wingback in this matchup.
CM: Federico Valverde - 6/10
Put in a decent game.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni - 6/10
Also had a decent performance.
CAM: Jude Bellingham - 6.5/10
Added some creativity in the attack.
RW: Rodrygo - 6.5/10
Showed intensity on the right flank - a solid performance.
ST: Gonzalo Garcia - 7.5/10
Converted very well to score their first goal of the game.
LW: Vincius Junior - 7/10
Added a lot in attack but couldn't quite convert into goal-scoring opportunities.
SUB: Arda Güler - 6/10
Aside from the one close attempt, he didn't offer much else in the game.
SUB: Lucas Vázquez - 6/10
He offered nothing notable in this game.
SUB: Brahim Diaz - 6/10
Had a quiet game after coming on.
SUB: Victor Munoz - 6/10
Had a quiet game after coming on.
SUB: Luka Modrić - 6/10
Didn't have much of an impact as he only played five minutes.
Al Hilal
4-1-2-3
MixCollage-18-Jun-2025-08-56-PM-7017
GK: Bono - 6.5/10
Made some important saves.
RB: João Cancelo - 6.5/10
A very steady performance.
CB: Hassan Altambakti - 6.5/10
A solid performance in the back four.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly - 6/10
Put in a decent shift.
LB: Renan Lodi - 6.5/10
Injected flair down the left flank at certain points.
CDM: Ruben Neves - 7.5/10
Cool as you like from the spot, a well-rounded performance in the midfield.
CM: Nasser Al-Dawsari - 5.5/10
Hasn't offered anything significant to the game.
CM: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic - 6.5/10
Added a bit of extra creativity to the match.
RW: Malcom - 6/10
Had a decent game.
LW: Salem Al-Dawsaro - 6/10
Hasn't really offered anything significant to the game.
ST: Marcos Leonardo - 6/10
Failed to convert some big chances.
SUB: Mohammed Al Qahtani - 6/10
Didn't really offer too much when he came on.
SUB: Moteb Al Harbi - 6/10
Didn't have a massive impact in the last few minutes.
SUB: Musab Al Juwayr - 6/10
Had a quiet game after coming on.
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