Real Madrid 1-1 Al-Hilal: An afternoon of debuts sees points shared at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami
It was love at second stint as Real Madrid legend Xabi Alonso returned to the club as a manager, promising a new era for Los Blancos. But Wednesday afternoon saw that era begin with frustration rather than fireworks as Federico Valverde’s stoppage-time penalty was saved to encapsulate Madrid’s limp showing, drawing 1-1 against a spirited Al-Hilal side in their FIFA Club World Cup opener.
There was more than the manager making a start. Trent Alexander-Arnold, the boy from Liverpool who lived his dream, except that dream included a mid-career switch to the club’s European rivals, made his long-awaited debut for the Spanish giants. But there was nothing about Madrid that screamed a team of the world’s assembly of stars as they struggled for rhythm throughout the match, Trent’s magic feet unable to deliver.
Al-Hilal’s manager is Simone Inzaghi – yes, that Simone Inzaghi – who was also leading his first match in charge, and he watched on eagle-eyed from the sidelines as his side played with confidence and poise, defending when they needed to and streaming forward when they saw an opening.
For much of the first half, Madrid were second-best. Al-Hilal were sharper in possession, aggressive in transition, and dictated the tempo early. Marcos Leonardo, lively throughout, gave Madrid’s tentative defence plenty to think about. It was only against the run of play that the 15-time European champions struck first: a swift counter ending with Gonzalo Garcia lifting the ball over goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who had committed early.
Al-Hilal didn’t retreat. Instead, they pressed harder and found their reward before the break. Raul Asencio got too tight to Leonardo and pulled him down in the box. Portugal international Ruben Neves converted the resulting penalty emphatically to level the score.
Madrid improved after the interval; they had to. Substitute Arda Guler rattled the bar with a fierce strike, and Garcia forced a superb save from Bounou with a powerful header. But defensively there weaknesses for Los Blancos, particularly on the right where Trent was entrapped in a weird mixed affair, showing his trademark delivery and composure on the ball at times but also occasionally getting exposed as Al-Hilal targeted his flank.
The drama peaked in the 94th minute when Fran Garcia was caught in the face by the trailing arm of Mohammed Al-Qahtani. A lengthy VAR check followed and the penalty was given. Up stepped Valverde, seeming composed and assured, but ultimately he was denied by a brilliant save from Bounou, who dived to his right to preserve a deserved point for the Saudi champions.
The game was not without positives for Alonso. Young centre-back Dean Huijsen, another debutant, looked assured on the ball. Despite Trent’s shaky moments in defence, he also brought some technicality to Madrid’s build-up. He almost certainly has much more special days than this in his and Madrid’s future. The absence of Kylian Mbappe may also have blunted out the attack a bit after he missed the game due to a fever. Alonso would know that the Frenchman can take this team to a completely different level when he’s on the pitch.
In the end, though, the much awaited debut ended up slipping by quietly. The day belonged to Bounou, whose last-gasp save capped a brilliant individual performance and earned Al-Hilal a point that may just suggest to sceptics that this Club World Cup is worth watching.
