Real Madrid 5-3 Al Hilal: Los Blancos score five in eight-goal thriller to win Club World Cup

Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde both hit braces as Real Madrid ran out 5-3 winners over Al Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup Final.

Madrid took control of the match in the early stages with Vinicius Junior netting the opener after 13 minutes and Valverde seeing a shot deflected home five minutes later.

Mali striker Moussa Marega raced through to pull a goal back in the 26th minute keeping the Saudi side in the game at half time.

Real came out purposefully to put the game away and Karim Benzema’s goal slotting home Vinicius Junior’s fantastic cross from the left flank and then a neat finish from Valverde after a one-two with Dani Carvajal put the game beyond doubt before the hour mark.

Al Hilal kept on fighting though and two classy finishes from Luciano Vietto made the score respectable either side of a second goal for Vinicius Junior.

This result saw Real Madrid secure their fifth FIFA Club World Cup, two ahead of rivals Barcelona in second place.

TALKING POINT

Will this ever be more than an exhibition game? – It is now 10 years since the Champions League winners of Europe failed to win this match and Corinthians triumph in 2012 followed six previous European winners. Even in the halcyon days of the International Cup between the European and South American championship it meant more to those in the southern hemisphere than the north but at least there was a regular splattering from each representative. The first year of this championship in Brazil where Romario and Edmundo embarrassed Manchester United and Gary Neville in particular playing for Vasco da Gama seems a world away now. Although the score was close at half time it felt like Real could take over the game when they wanted to and did so ahead of the hour mark. If Al Hilal’s rivals Al Nassr had been involved with Cristiano Ronaldo there would have been more interest and if he manages to make this competition a bigger event on the club calendar over the next few years it might be his biggest legacy.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH

Luciano Vietto (Al Hilal) – It would have been easy to give the award to Vinicius Junior who made the key contributions in Real Madrid’s victory but the Argentine forward dazzled in this moment in the spotlight for him. Four years on from his sojourn in South London with Fulham it would be interesting to see him back in the Champions League on the cusp of turning thirty. He showed here his talents are certainly worthy of that stage.

PLAYER RATINGS

Real Madrid: Lunin 6, Dani Carvajal 7, Rudiger 6, Alaba 6, Camavinga 6; Modric 7, Tchouameni 6, Kroos 6; Valverde 7, Vinicius Júnior 8, Benzema 7.

Subs: Rodrygo 6, Ceballos 6, Asensio 6, Nacho 6, Vallejo 6.

Al Hilal: Al Muaiouf 6; Abdulhamid 7, Hyun-soo 6, Al Bulaihi 6, K. Al Dawsari 6; Cuellar 6, Kanno 6, S. Al Dawsari 6, Carrillo 6; Vietto 8*, Marega 7.

Subs: Michael 7, Aldawsari 6, Al-Hamdan 6, Ighalo 6.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

13′ GOAL FOR REAL MADRID! Vinicius Jr is played in by Benzema and calmly slides the ball under the Al-Hilal keeper and into the net.

18′ GOAL FOR REAL MADRID! Modric’s cross from the right flank was half-cleared by Jang to Valverde 12 yards out whose deflected strike off AlBulaihi and into the net.

26′ GOAL FOR AL HILAL! Did not see that happening! Marega was played through on goal and made no mistake as his effort squeezed past Lunin and into the net. Rudiger played him onside.

54′ GOAL FOR REAL MADRID! Surely that settles it. It came through a predictable route with Vinicius Jr putting in a fantastic cross with the outside of his right foot which Benzema couldn’t fail to put in the back of the net.

58′ GOAL FOR REAL MADRID! Valverde gets in on the act. He plays the ball wide to Carvajal then runs into the area to collect a diagonal return pass and clip the ball deliciously over the Al-Hilal stopper and into the net.

63′ GOAL FOR AL HILAL! Lovely goal from Vietto. A good ball through from Abdulhamid and a measured clipped finish over the Real keeper from the Argentine star.

69′ GOAL FOR REAL MADRID! Vinicius Jr tried to dribble in the box but was dispossessed and then Ceballos beat a man but the ball ran perfectly into the path of the Brazilian winger who stroked the ball inside the far post.

79′ GOAL FOR AL HILAL! And it’s the goal of the night. Marvellous skill from Vietto as he retries a pull-back from Michael which is too far behind him and effortlessly turns 180 degrees and puts it into the net.

KEY STAT

• 10 – UEFA Champions League winners have won the last ten FIFA Club World Cup Finals.