Real Madrid and Al-Hilal play out entertaining 1-1 draw in Club World Cup.
Real Madrid and Al-Hilal played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in their opening game of the Club World Cup. Yassine Bounou denied Federico Valverde from the spot two minutes from the end to ensure the spoils were shared in Miami.
Real Madrid academy product Gonzalo García opened the scoring for the Spanish side with a cool finish before Ruben Neves equalised from the spot on the verge of halftime.
The game's decisive moment came at the end of the game when Al-Hilal defender Mohammed Al-Qahtani raised his arm in the penalty area and made contact with Fran Garcia's face. The penalty, awarded after VAR review, was taken by Federico Valverde but Bounou capped a fine display by saving low to his right.
Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
Summary
Sergej Milinković-Savić tested Thibaut Courtois early with a powerful drive from distance that the Belgian handled confidently.
Moments later, the midfielder saw his free-kick hit the wall, before the ball was recycled and Rúben Neves sent a long-range effort just over the bar.
Despite enjoying spells of possession, Real Madrid struggled to create clear-cut chances, while Al-Hilal looked more composed and dangerous in transition.
The Saudi side continued to threaten, with João Cancelo delivering a dangerous cross to the back post. Salem Al-Dawsari volleyed it back into the path of Marcos Leonardo, but the striker couldn't keep his effort on target.
Al-Hilal thought their persistence had paid off when Renan Lodi calmly slotted the ball past Courtois and into the far corner — but the celebrations were cut short by the offside flag.
Al-Za'eem didn't let the disallowed goal derail them and continued to trouble Madrid, particularly out wide. After a slick move into the penalty area, Al-Dawsari looked poised to strike, only for Aurélien Tchouaméni to intervene brilliantly and poke the ball away at the last second.
Real Madrid players celebrate taking the lead. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
After being on the back foot for long spells, Real Madrid finally broke the deadlock just after the half-hour mark. Rodrygo drove forward on the counter and delivered a low ball across the box for García, who coolly dinked it over Bounou to make it 1-0.
But Al-Hilal hit back before the break. Following a foul by Raúl Asencio on Leonardo in the box, Neves stepped up and calmly sent Courtois the wrong way from the spot — a deserved equaliser after a dominant first-half showing from the Saudi champions.
Real Madrid came out strong after the restart and nearly regained the lead inside two minutes.
Halftime substitute Arda Güler was immediately involved in the action as his volley crashed against the crossbar which sparked a brief scramble in the box. The ball eventually fell to Vinícius Junior out wide, who dinked in a cross for García, but the forward's header was straight at the keeper.
Moments later, Federico Valverde fired narrowly wide from distance, as Madrid's attacking momentum began to build.
Los Blancos, who had posed little attacking threat in the first half, now looked far more dangerous. However, as the Spaniards pushed more players forward, they left themselves exposed at the back which allowed Al-Hilal to counter quickly and turn the game into an end-to-end contest.
Neves equalises from the spot. Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images
The tempo slowed temporarily around the 65th minute as both sides made a flurry of substitutions — including the end of Trent Alexander-Arnold's debut appearance.
Both sides continued to push for the lead, with Leonardo watching his strike fly over the bar before Valverde drilled a shot straight down the middle at the other end.
Since the substitutions midway through the second half, both sides struggled to regain their earlier tempo, and it seemed any breakthrough would likely come from a set piece.
Two minutes from time, Real Madrid earned a penalty after Mohammed Al-Qahtani appeared to accidentally strike Fran García in the face with a swinging arm.
Valverde stepped up to take it...
But Bounou was equal to the task and kept the score level.
Seven minutes of stoppage time were added, and the Galácticos pressed hard for a winner, bombarding Al-Hilal's penalty area, but the Saudi side held firm to secure a point against the 15-time Champions League winners.