After defeating Al-Ahly (Egypt) in the semi-finals, Real Madrid faced Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) in the FIFA Club World Cup final in Morocco. Coach Ancelotti fielded his strongest squad with midfielders Kroos, Modric and two strikers Vinicius and Benzema.

Real Madrid did not have much difficulty dominating the game. In the 13th minute, Vinicius broke the offside trap after a smart pass from Benzema, faced goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf and easily opened the score for Real Madrid.

Relieving the pressure, Real Madrid played comfortably and pressed their opponents more strongly. In the 18th minute, Federico Valverde took advantage of an indecisive clearance by defender Al-Hilal to increase the score to 2-0.

Against a stronger opponent, the Saudi Arabian representative still counterattacked sharply. In the 26th minute, Malian striker Moussa Marega escaped and beat goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, reducing the score to 1-2 for Al-Hilal.

After the goal, Al-Hilal increased the tempo of the match but they could not control the midfield. Having gained the advantage after the first 45 minutes, Real Madrid once again took the lead with two quick goals early in the second half, through Karim Benzema in the 54th minute and Valverde completing a personal double in the 58th minute. But the European team allowed Al Hilal to return to the match once more thanks to a brace from former Atletico Madrid striker Luciano Vietto in the 63rd and 79th minutes, with a goal from Vinicius in between for Real Madrid. The drama could have been even higher at the end of the match if Moussa Marega had not made a regrettable miss.

Real Madrid clearly demonstrated their superiority in class and deserved to win. With this title, Real Madrid has won the FIFA Club World Cup for the 5th time in history, after doing the same in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018./.

NK