Yassine Bounou's PK save helps Al Hilal tie Real Madrid in Club World Cup
Yassine Bounou stopped a penalty kick by Real Madrid's Federico Valverde in the second minute of second-half stoppage time to allow Al Hilal to earn a 1-1 tie in Club World Cup Group H play in Miami.
Ruben Neves scored on a penalty kick for Al Hilal, a Saudi Arabian team.
Gonzalo Garcia had a goal for Real Madrid.
Bounou went down to his left to stop Valverde's right-footed penalty kick to keep the score tied.
The match was the Group H opener for both teams.
Real Madrid had a big opportunity to move ahead in the opening minute of the second half.
Arda Guler struck a left-footer that hit the crossbar. Al Hilal couldn't clear the ball out of the area and Garcia's close-range header was slapped away by Bounou.
Real Madrid took a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute when Rodrygo slid a pass from the right side to Garcia, who knocked a right-footed shot into the net.
Al Hilal knotted the score in the 41st minute when Neves took a penalty kick and sent it high into the net. The kick was awarded after Real Madrid's Raul Asencio fouled Al Hilal's Marcos Leonardo in the box.
Earlier, Al Hilal's Renan Lodi put the ball in the net in the 19th minute but he was clearly offsides and the goal was nullified.
--Field Level Media
Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Real Madrid and Al Hilal players adjust to their new coaches in the Club World Cup
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — New managers went head to head in the Club World Cup's Group H clash between Real Madrid and Al Hilal on Wednesday. There was no separation between two, which ended in a 1-1 draw that included a 90-plus minute penalty save by Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bonou to secure the tie. Advertisement Xabi Alonso took over for Los Blancos just this month, as Simone Inzaghi did for the Blue Wave of the Saudi side. Alonso arrived from Bayern Leverkusen after winning the German Bundesliga last season, and Inzaghi from Inter Milan after badly losing the Champions League final. Alonso was denied a victory for his first game in charge, an unwelcome sight for many Madrid supporters. Players who competed under previous coach Carlo Ancelotti explained what the changes are now that the former Real Madrid player is in charge. 'He wants us to play, he has a different way for us to defend, a different way for us to attack,' goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. Advertisement For Al Hilal, many foreign players who now play for the club have experience at top teams and stages of tournaments, like Manchester City and World Cup semifinals. Inzaghi has made a big step after guiding Inter Milan to two Champions League finals, now stepping out of his comfort zone. 'Simone is a joyful fellow and that is good for the group, but so is (Jorge) Jesus, who I thank for bringing me to Al Hilal,' right back João Cancelo said, referencing his current and former manager. Both teams will look to care of business and continue to have better performances under new leadership. ___ AP soccer: Andres Jaime-mendez, The Associated Press
New York Times
39 minutes ago
- New York Times
Tijjani Reijnders is ready to transform Manchester City's midfield – Pep Guardiola can smell it
The red mist came rolling in from behind Ederson's goal. Wydad's ultras — a 2,000-strong block of red — set off so many flares that the game had to be paused due to the fog and stench of cordite filling the nostrils of those inside Lincoln Financial Field. This was after 80 minutes. By that point Pep Guardiola's senses had been tingled by something else. Advertisement 'He's a really good player — you smell it,' he said of City debutant Tijjani Reijnders. The Dutch international started at the base of midfield as City beat their Moroccan opposition 2-0 to kick off their Club World Cup campaign. Reijnders has had just over a week to train with his team-mates, some of whom admitted to struggling with the humidity in Philadelphia, but he looked relatively immune to the conditions. This was as assured as debuts go. That may be expected of the reigning Serie A midfielder of the year who cost £46million from AC Milan, but to anchor an experimental team as smoothly as he did was confirmation of the classy style that attracted City to him in the first place. With Rodri still building back to full fitness following the ACL rupture he sustained last September, Reijnders started in a deeper position with City building up in a 2-3-5 shape. He was accompanied in the middle by the two inverting full-backs Rico Lewis and Nico O'Reilly but with Savinho and Jeremy Doku wide and a roaming trio of Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush, he was the key cog in holding a very fluid team together. 'When he gets the rhythm, he will be top,' said Guardiola, who was asked if Reijnders could play deeper at times. 'We also have Nico Gonzalez there. Kova can come back. I see him more in the (higher) positions. Pace, in the final third.' The sheer size of Reijnders is something that has perhaps not been appreciated fully. He is a top athlete and that running power was showcased several times in how he drove forward into space and was able to cover the ground quickly on defensive transition. Reijnders' passing was sharp and incisive, rifling balls through the lines and to the small-space players at the edge of the box, or changing the direction of the attack by sweeping the ball out wide to the wingers. Phil Foden conceded that City had to keep the ball for longer because of the heat but Reijnders injected speed into their possession. While Rayan Cherki looked a little sluggish at times and sloppily gave the ball away on occasion, Reijnders' decision-making was close to perfect. He was positive without being overly ambitious, as seen when he powerfully surged past two players and slid a perfectly-weighted ball through for Savinho. Advertisement Later in the first half, he attempted a disguised through ball with his weaker left foot through a crowd of players that was millimetres from finding Doku down the inside of the full-back. Had the defender not managed to dive and toe it out for a corner, it would have been a contender for assist of the tournament already. He spoke this week about studying Kevin De Bruyne's game and watching Ilkay Gundogan up close to see how he can improve. Watching him link the play against Wydad, it was impossible not to see bits of both players in the way that he glided with the ball at full pace like the Belgian, and the way he spun and intelligently navigated out of tight areas like the German. Guardiola has conceded before that it can take players time to adjust to his instructions. The best compliment you could pay Reijnders is that it looked like he had been reading his new manager's playbook for years. He sees the picture so clearly and so quickly, which is why it looks like he has all the time in the world to pick the right pass. Small details like passing to the stronger foot of the receiving player or playing into the No 8 with enough pace that he can take it on the half-turn are things that can take time for players to learn but the most intelligent midfielders build that knowledge bank rapidly. It is instinctive and he looks to have the right amount of risk management to his game — something that should provide City's midfield with a healthy blend of solidity and adventure. Yes, it is only one game but given the angst about the De Bruyne-shaped hole in the squad, Reijnders looks like he will provide a ready-made starter to re-energise a midfield that looked like it has lost its steam during an arduous four-month period last season. Reijnders shifted to No 8 in the second half when Rodri came on as a substitute. It is likely that he will play most of his football on the other side of midfield but how will Guardiola balance that midfield if it is still some time until Rodri is ready to start regularly? Advertisement Deciding how he makes the collection of attacking talent at his disposal into a functional team is Guardiola's biggest challenge as Wydad, albeit against a second-string City back four, caused a lot of problems on the counter and should really have converted at least a couple of their breakaways. Cherki, Foden, Savinho and Marmoush all showed their ability to combine in tight areas but when Erling Haaland starts as the focal point, finding the right balance and variation around him remains a difficult task. Reijnders already looks like he will be a key part of making everything work.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
John Textor vs Nasser Al-Khelaifi — a French football feud that is about to go global at Club World Cup
When the Club World Cup draw was made in December, conjuring the jumbled bones of Gianni Infantino's strange monster into something approaching life, a few fixtures immediately jumped out. Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid sounded fun, like a Champions League quarter-final that had boarded the wrong flight. There was Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors, a 22-man culture clash, plus multiple underdog tales waiting to be told — or not — by Auckland City and Mamelodi Sundowns. Advertisement Throw in the possibility for the kind of jubilant human dioramas that we have seen over the last few days — Esperance de Tunis supporters taking over Times Square, the rolling Boca roadshow — and you had most of the ingredients needed for a solid group stage. Most but not all. There was one key thing missing, at least at first glance. Summer tournaments are celebratory things, but you also need some dark to go with the light. Where was the match that was begging to descend into chaos? Where was the bad blood? River Plate vs Boca? That can't happen until the semi-finals at the earliest. It's the same for Flamengo vs Fluminense. Benfica vs Porto is a potential quarter-final — better, but still over two weeks away. Until then, it's all going to be relatively friendly on the pitch. That's the bad news. Here's the good: there is some enmity to be found. You just have to look inside the boardroom to locate it. On Thursday, a feud that has gripped French football will go global. It involves Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of PSG, and John Textor, the chairman of Eagle Football Group. The latter is president of Lyon, PSG's rivals in Ligue 1. He is also the majority owner of Botafogo, the reigning South American champions — and PSG's next opponents at the Rose Bowl. The animosity between the men dates back to 2022, when Textor became majority shareholder of Lyon and immediately placed PSG — backed by Qatari state money, domestically dominant — in his crosshairs. 'I don't like models like PSG,' Textor said in his first press conference. 'We want to go after them.' Lyon have yet to make significant progress on that front. Textor, though, has certainly gone after PSG in the press. He complained about the club's Qatari ownership to the BBC in February 2024, then doubled down in a lengthy interview with Brazilian outlet Globo. 'I'm competing with a country, not an owner,' he said. 'It's a model of spending without brakes, without restrictions.' Advertisement That prompted a stinging response from PSG. In a letter signed by general secretary Victoriano Melero — but almost certainly approved by Al-Khelaifi — they described Textor as 'undignified', accusing him of 'playing to the gallery' with 'wild attacks' and threatening legal action. 'As a newcomer to France, we humbly suggest informing yourself of some basic facts, while also perhaps having some self-reflection,' it read. The tone of those exchanges reflected a growing friction between Textor and Al-Khelaifi in private. Days earlier, the two men had been involved in a meeting to discuss TV rights for Ligue 1, alongside the owners of the other clubs in the league. It was a fraught occasion, with clubs on edge after the failure of the previous TV deal. Textor pushed for a Netflix-style, direct-to-consumer product, referencing his experience with streaming service FuboTV. When Al-Khelaifi, who favoured a more conventional offer from DAZN, pushed back, the meeting descended into a slanging match — as later revealed in a video leaked to French newspaper L'Equipe. Textor accused Al-Khelaifi of being a 'bully' and a 'tyrant'. 'You live in a different world,' Al-Khelaifi told the American, before calling him a 'cowboy'. Al-Khelaifi got his way. Ligue 1 signed with DAZN in a deal that would end up being prematurely terminated in May. But he and Textor continued to exchange angry messages, subsequently published in L'Equipe. 'You know nothing about football and I'm wasting my time talking to you,' Al-Khelaifi told Textor. 'You will lose wherever you go.' Nor was that the end of the matter. In an explosive interview with radio station RMC in January, Textor returned to the topic, accusing Ligue 1 president Vincent Labrune of bowing to PSG — and Al-Khelaifi, who also runs beIN Sports, of having a conflict of interests. Advertisement 'Nasser sat there and ran the meeting,' Textor said. 'He should not have even been in the meeting because he is an interested party with his own TV channels. Every time anybody would raise an alternate idea, Nasser would bark at them and intimidate and bully. The president of our league just sat there like a lapdog, didn't say anything.' In a statement, a Ligue 1 spokesperson said they were 'surprised' by Textor's comments. A PSG statement, seen by The Athletic, was more forceful. 'It's a shame that you can't buy class and elegance as it would have enabled Mr Textor to avoid ridiculing himself,' it read. There has, seemingly, been a bit of a rapprochement since then. Al-Khelaifi invited Textor to the Parc des Princes for PSG's Champions League match against Arsenal in May, which was welcomed by the American. 'Happy to be working again with NAK (Al-Khelaifi) at this critical time, on the challenges and opportunities of French football,' he wrote on Instagram. 'At times like this, we will work together. Tonight I support France!' There was also, in February, the sight of Textor wearing a cowboy hat to Lyon vs PSG, just days after details of the TV meeting were made public. It might have struck some as a provocation, but there was an alternative reading: that Textor was injecting a little humour, maybe even some self-deprecation, into the narrative. In truth, the two men probably have more in common than first meets the eye. Both see themselves as ex-athletes: Textor was a good snowboarder and skateboarder in his youth; Al-Khelaifi was Qatar's best tennis player and is now a padel evangelist. Both made their money and their reputations in the media sphere, Al-Khelaifi with beIN and Textor with Fubo. They are both, to differing degrees, outsiders in the French system. They may have clashed in the football world, but they are also similar when it comes to their interpretation of their roles at their clubs. They are hands-on, proactive, public-facing. When PSG won the Champions League in May, Al-Khelaifi was on the field, kissing the trophy. It was the same story with Textor when Botafogo beat Atletico Mineiro in the final of the Copa Libertadores in November. Advertisement None of which is to say that there will be any quarter given on Thursday. After the Libertadores final, Textor sent a photo of the trophy to his rival — a pointed dig because, at that point, PSG had not won the Champions League title that Al-Khelaifi had been dreaming of since he arrived in France in 2011. They have now. But Textor's reaction to the Club World Cup draw made it clear that neither he nor Botafogo will be paying them too much deference in Pasadena. 'Now we are going to play against a little team from Paris and also a big historic club: Atletico Madrid,' Textor said in April. 'I really can't wait.' (Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Xavier Laine / Getty, Clement Mahoudeau / Getty)
