Real Madrid 1 Al-Hilal 1: Alexander-Arnold's debut, Bounou's penalty heroics and a slow start for Alonso?

New York Times

3 hours ago

Real Madrid missed a late penalty as Simone Inzaghi's Al-Hilal produced an excellent performance to secure a 1-1 draw in their opening game at the Club World Cup.
Madrid's young centre forward Gonzalo Garcia broke the deadlock after a neat passing move in first half, which came moments after their new coach Xabi Alonso had issued instructions to his team at a first-half cooling break.
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Then Ruben Neves levelled from the penalty spot for Al Hilal shortly before the break. after a clumsy foul in the penalty area by Madrid centre-back Raul Asencio.
And the Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou held his nerve in the 92nd minute, diving low to his right to keep out Fede Valverde's tame penalty kick.
Our writers analyse the talking points from the draw in Miami, including Trent Alexander-Arnold's debut and a superb display from Salem Al-Dawsari…
Inzaghi has come under criticism back home in Italy for taking the Al-Hilal job. Comments by the Saudi club's CEO about Inzaghi making his decision to join before Inter played the Champions League final against PSG have not gone down well and put him in an awkward position on the eve of his debut with his new team.
It did not seem to affect Al-Hilal's preparations for Real Madrid in the slightest. Al-Hilal were competitive against the 15-time European champions, as they should be after unprecedented investment over the last three years. And yet the evenness of the game should not be taken for granted.
Rest of the world XIs like Al-Hilal can easily look like a disparate group of strangers. Instead Inzaghi already has them looking like a cohesive, threatening unit. It helps that he knows some of the players, like Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, a major difference maker in his Lazio team. Others like Joao Cancelo and Kalidou Koulibaly have played in Serie A and know how Italian coaches like to work.
Inzaghi shouldn't have to redeem himself after the 5-0 defeat his Inter side suffered in Munich. Many thought he should have stayed at San Siro rather than go out like that. But Al-Hilal's performance against Madrid showed his coaching prowess and reminded us that Inter-PSG was, for all PSG deserved to win, an aberration for an Inzaghi team.
James Horncastle
Al-Hilal more than held their own against club football's biggest side yet were nearly undone by a harsh, late VAR-awarded penalty. But Bounou heroically denied Valverde and secured the point for the Saudi side.
Mohammed Al Qahtani swung out his arm to balance himself, but caught the onrushing Fran Garcia in doing so. After a lengthy VAR delay the penalty was awarded despite the lack of intent from Al Qahtani.
Up stepped Bonou, saving Valverde's effort which was weakly aimed towards the bottom left-corner, before springing up quickly to keep out the rebound. The moment will have been all the sweeter for the goalkeeper, given his past with crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.
Conor O'Neill
Watching this performance, you could see, maybe, if you squinted, the changes that Alonso is trying to bring to the team.
The new Madrid coach spoke a lot pre-game about team shape and structure, about how he wanted them to be more compact and balanced, and all work together as one unit on and off the ball.
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That appeared to be the plan as Madrid went to press high on Al-Hilal from the kick-off, with the entire team moving up the pitch to try and pin their opponents back. Only for Al-Hilal to easily play right through the press, and Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois forced to make his first save with barely a minute played.
As the game unfolded, you could see many of the problems which previous coach Carlo Ancelotti struggled with during 2024-25 in Europe. The team was still in the same basic 4-3-3 shape, but with quality individuals like Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior not well integrated into the team's play. Not having enough high-quality experienced defenders was also still a problem.
On the positive side, Alonso's influence appeared clear in Madrid's opening goal, which came just after he spoke to his team during the first-half cooling break. Young centre-forward Gonzalo came deeper than he had during the previous 30 minutes, helping to link the play. The youngster then raced up the pitch to get on the end of the move and score with a slightly fortunate finish.
Alonso's half-time change also showed purpose, taking off struggling centre-back Asencio to send on playmaker Arda Guler. It almost worked immediately, with Guler arriving into the box to hammer a Vini Jr cross against the bar. He was then often involved as Madrid were much more cohesive in possession in the second half. The Turkish starlet did not get as many opportunities as he'd have liked under Ancelotti, but may benefit from the change of coach.
Alonso has had just three training sessions with his new squad to try to get his ideas across, so it is very early to judge. But tonight's game showed just how much work awaits him.
Dermot Corrigan
With only three training sessions behind them in Miami, along with the added challenge of bedding in two new defenders — Dean Huijsen and Alexander-Arnold — who both started, it was little surprise that Madrid appeared disorganised and tentative at the back.
Alexander-Arnold, in particular, was always likely to come under intense scrutiny and the former Liverpool player looked uncomfortable defensively on his debut. Alonso said in his pre-match press conference that 'the system can change, with four [defenders], or with three', and here Madrid flipped between both defensive shapes. This meant Alexander-Arnold awkwardly oscillated between full-back and centre-back, with Rodygro playing much of the first half as right wing-back.
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The unfamiliarity bred confusion, something Al-Hilal actively exploited. In the first half, 48 per cent of their passes in Madrid's defensive third came down Alexander Arnold's flank. Both he and Rodygro struggled to deal with the movement of the excellent Salem Al-Dawsari and the marauding overlapping full-back Renan Lodi, and were frequently caught out of position.
Alexander-Arnold's more narrow positioning limited his ability to launch the dangerous long raking balls he has become known for. On the few occasions he did attempt them, such as a crossfield pass to Vinicius Junior and a ball in behind for Rodygro, they drifted harmlessly out of play.
An adaptation period is to be expected for Alexander-Arnold and the rest of this new-look Madrid defence. But if Alonso wants his side to play with clarity and control, establishing a more cohesive and convincing defensive structure will be essential.
Conor O'Neill
Amid all the expensive stars brought from all over the world to Al-Hilal, their standout player was Salem Al-Dawsari – the attacker who brought the most imagination and individual quality to the game.
Saudi national team Salem Al-Dawsari has scored at two World Cups for Saudi Arabia, including the legendary winner against Argentina in Qatar 2022, while playing almost all his career in his home league.
Now 33, the captain (and symbol of the club's pre-PIF history) definitely looked like he wanted to make a big impression with Al-Hilal on such a high profile club stage.
The best moment was just before half-time when Salem received the ball wide on the right, then cut menacingly inside, played a one-two with Milinkovic-Savic, and then saw a curler from the edge of the area deflected just wide.
There were moments when Salem probably tried to do too much on his own, such as when he attempted to take on the entire Madrid defence on the break in the second half, and was edged out by left-back Fran Garcia.
But that was understandable, given the situation. Salem did not get the goal he so wanted, but he outshone Madrid's galacticos Vinicius and Bellingham, and made Trent Alexander Arnold's debut a difficult one. Most importantly, he showed he deserved to share their stage.
Dermot Corrigan
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(PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)