Real Madrid held by Al-Hilal on Trent Alexander Arnold's debut
Fifa Club World Cup: Real Madrid 1 (Garcia 34) Al-Hilal 1 (Neves 41)
Xabi Alonso had said in the build-up that he was going to 'ignite' his players at this
Club World Cup
, that
Real Madrid
were ready to rock'n'roll. In the event this was something a little more ragged and downbeat, pub-rock, at times even a meandering shoe-gaze in Miami as a feisty and well-drilled Al-Hilal kept the new-era Madrid at arm's length in a Group H opener that ended in a 1-1 draw, flickered but never caught fire, and saw Federico Valverde miss an 92nd-minute penalty to win it.
Madrid announced before the game that they had sold 60,000 tickets for this game at a 65,000 capacity stadium, which seems a little hard on Al-Hilal, who are owned by the Saudi government and as a result are basically paying for the whole show. As expected the Hard Rock was a sun-dappled sea of white at kick-off, Madrid the greatest portable source of eyeball-power at this made-for-TV show.
And this was another strange event at the mothership of all strange events. Most obviously the game kicked off at 3pm local time in mid-June, a time of day when crossing the road here is likely to induce a state of full-body sock-soaking hydration, and trying to run is like hurling yourself head first into the sun.
READ MORE
In other staging news, Fifa revived its No To Racism messaging, running a short video to that effect before kick-off. There was a clear response here to criticism of kowtowing to the nearest authoritarian politician, with the watering down of that message to Football Unites The World, which has the added drawback of being demonstrably incorrect.
Alonso had said in the build-up that Madrid needed 'closure with the past'. Well, good luck with that. But he picked a fresh-looking team here, with the rebranded Trent making his debut, just across from fellow newbie Dean Huijsen, and 21-year-old Gonzalo García at the point of the attack. Kylian Mbappé was absent with a fever, possibly even the strain of football fever Gianni Infantino has claimed is currently sweeping the US, albeit in asymptomatic form judging by the world beyond the stadiums.
Federico Valverde misses a penalty kick that is saved by Yassine Bounou. Photograph: Sandra Montanez/Getty
It was a little jarring to see the on-field banners at the Hard Rock, Real Madrid's badge enchained within the golden links of the Club World Cup logo. And fascinating also to see Alexander-Arnold for the first time in match-day kit, a familiarly shambling, bandy-legged figure, starting at right-back in a regulation 4-3-3 at kick-off.
But it was Al-Hilal who almost opened the scoring with two minutes gone, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic drawing a save from Thibaut Courtois with a fierce drive. And with 13 minutes gone Marcos Leonardo really should have opened the scoring for Al-Hilal, deflecting a mis-hit shot just wide after João Cancelo had made ground on the right.
Vinícius was booked for the crime of evading a potential Kalidou Koulibaly shin-raker. Alexander-Arnold gave the ball away a few times, most notably in the lead-up to a break that ended with the ball in the net, only to be rescued by the offside flag. Alonso had spoken a lot about the need for Bellingham to be 'in the right position', mentioning this three times in the space of 30 seconds in his prematch conference, although at times in the opening half-hour Madrid had little to offer here apart from his roving note of menace.
But they scored almost immediately after the hydration break. It came from a break the length of the pitch, started by Alexander-Arnold winning a challenge. The ball was shuttled through midfield via Vinícius to Rodrygo on the right. His cross was perfectly curled into the path of García. The finish was a little fumbled, bobbling off one foot on to the other, the end result a dink over the goalkeeper. So the age of Alonso had its first goal.
And it conceded its first with 40 minutes gone after Raul Asencio had given away a needless penalty, wrapping an arm around Leonardo as he veered away inside the box. Rúben Neves buried the kick to make it 1-1. Al-Hilal might have had a second, Salem al-Dawsari shooting just wide after a neat combination, drifting in from the Madrid right.
Arda Guler came on for Asencio at half-time, as Madrid stuck with the flat four, Aurélien Tchouaméni dropping into the backline. And Guler hit the bar almost immediately after a long, fading Alexander-Arnold pass had put Vinícius in space, before Garcia drew a goalline reflex save from Yassine Bounou as Al-Hilal lived, briefly, on the edge.
Bellingham showed some drive and trickery on the right. He wandered to the left. He gestured at his team-mates. Is this free radical role going to remain part of the Alonso blueprint? Madrid began to dominate possession in the Al-Hilal half, playing in the merciful shade of the Hard Rock's vast square wedding cake roof.
Alexander-Arnold came off with 65 minutes gone of a so-so, occasionally promising debut, replaced by Lucas Vázquez. The game drifted into hydration breaks and low-throttle lulls in temperatures that never strayed below a brutally humid 90 degrees. Al-Hilal might have taken the lead after Vázquez gave the ball away, but Leonardo clumped his finish over the bar with pond-wader finesse. The crowd fanned itself and sat in a very Madrid kind of semi-hush, awaiting their moment.
Vinícius was subbed off to a disappointed groan from Merengues diaspora. Luka Modric came on to the largest roar of the half to that point. At the death it seemed Madrid might produce a classic late assertion of their Darwinian right to win as they were awarded a soft VAR-reviewed penalty, but Valverde's kick was saved. – Guardian
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
24 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Elio star Yonas Kibreab: ‘I saw my first Pixar movies when I was four, so to be in one is surreal'
Is there life on Mars? Or anywhere besides our pale blue dot? In April, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope detected dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet 124 light years from Earth. On our own planet these compounds are produced by marine micro-organisms such as phytoplankton. The findings are by no means conclusive, but they are considered the strongest evidence yet for extraterrestrial life. Or at least extraterrestrial plankton. Maybe it's these headline-making biosignatures. Or maybe it's a way to escape the trials of contemporary life on Earth. But aliens are experiencing a moment in the movieverse. Steven Spielberg is beavering away on a top-secret ET-themed science-fiction adventure, his first consideration of outer planets since he made War of the Worlds, in 2005. Alien: Earth, a new series serving as a prequel to Alien, Ridley Scott's 1979 film, will premiere in the US in August. READ MORE Younger sky-watchers can head to see Elio , Pixar 's new alien-populated movie, in which a young orphan – voiced by the 15-year-old Filipino-American actor Yonas Kibreab – struggles with grief, an overly vivid imagination and a deep sense of otherness. His guardian and aunt, a major in the US military – voiced by the Oscar-winner Zoë Saldaña – specialises in tracking space debris. That gives Elio the idea to use a ham radio. He's hoping to be abducted, but when an interplanetary misunderstanding leads a cosmic delegation to believe that Elio is Earth's official ambassador, he is teleported across the galaxy to represent humanity at the Communiverse, a sprawling congress of alien civilisations. When his good-natured hosts Questa (Jameela Jamil), Tegmen (Matthias Schweighöfer) and OOOOO (Shirley Henderson), a gelatinous supercomputer, draw the wrath of the warlord Grigon (Brad Garrett), it falls to Elio to use his nonexistent diplomatic skills to save the day. 'Elio's overall personality is like a superpower,' Yonas says. 'He doesn't care about what other people think. His personality is amazing. He's so cool. He wears capes. He's not worrying about what his classmates are going to say about him. And I think that's a very important message. Be yourself.' [ Elio review: Pixar's all-ages pleasures are in short supply in strangely half-formed animation Opens in new window ] In a welcome flourish, Elio is book-ended by references to the Voyager mission. Launched in 1977, Voyager I and II were sent hurtling billions of kilometres to the outer limits of our solar system to gather information about far-flung planets before sailing out into deep space. In 2012 Voyager I slipped through the heliopause and officially became the first human-made object to reach interstellar space. Both probes carry two golden records : 12-inch discs containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, including greetings in 55 languages, birdsong, music and a message from the late Jimmy Carter, who was president of the United States at the time. 'I've always found it fascinating,' Garrett – a towering presence even sitting down – says. 'It can't just be us in the universe. That's just man's vanity, right?' Garrett's career began in the 1980s, when, as a young comedian, he became a grand champion on the American talent show Star Search; he subsequently appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and performed alongside Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis jnr. His breakout acting role came in 1996, when he played the bumbling, henpecked cop Robert Barone in the TV comedy Everybody Loves Raymond, a part that earned him three Emmy awards. A Pixar regular, he has voiced characters in Finding Nemo and Ratatouille. Elio, he says, is a bit different. 'This is the first time I played a villain,' he says. 'What I liked about it is that he is one of the few villains where you get to see him evolve in an emotional way. He's a dad and he gets to show a parental side that he's never had before. That happens just in time when his son really needs it.' Yonas Kibreab attends the gala screening of Elio at Vue West End in London on June 15th. Photograph:Yonas is also a voice-acting veteran, following his portrayal of Phinny in the Disney Junior series Pupstruction and Damian Wayne/Little Batman in Merry Little Batman. He has also appeared in Silicon Valley, Blumhouse's Blood Moon and the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. 'With voice work you have to communicate emotions through the mic,' he says. 'It's hard to do that at times, because other actors don't really see your face and you don't see theirs. But what I love about it is just how free you are to do whatever. You can go in the studio and, because there's no cameras on you, you don't have to perform with your face.' Despite the teenager's extensive work across various franchises, it was the Pixar film – the 29th animated feature to emerge from the studio – that won him over to both science fiction and watching the skies. 'When I started Elio I did a lot of research on extraterrestrial life, aliens and sci-fi,' Yonas says. 'That gave me an excuse to watch a lot more sci-fi movies. I think it definitely got me into anything that has to do with space. I really enjoy all that now.' Elio is part of Pixar's renewed push for theatrical dominance. Last summer its animated feature Inside Out 2 took a staggering $1.7 billion at the box office, to become the highest-grossing film of 2024 and the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time. The numbers are especially promising following the direct-to-streaming releases of the Pixar films Soul (2020), Luca (2021) and Turning Red (2022), on Disney+, and the poor theatrical showing of Lightyear , Pixar's underwhelming Toy Story spin-off. Since its founding, in 1986, and breakthrough with Toy Story, in 1995 – that film was the first fully computer-animated feature – Pixar has consistently combined technical innovation with emotionally impactful storytelling. But recent box-office wows, notably the Spider-Verse sequence and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem , trumpet the return of traditional hand-drawn animation. Elio is part of Pixar's renewed push for theatrical dominance. Photograph: Disney/Pixar Pixar films are changing. The current American aversion to the values of diversity, equity and inclusion have made a dent in Pixar's commitment to culturally sensitive storytelling. In response to external pressures, Disney removed a transgender storyline from the Pixar series Win or Lose in advance of its debut on Disney+ last February. Behind the scenes, the company is restructuring. In May 2024, Pixar laid off 175 employees – about one in seven of its workforce – as part of the broader cost-cutting programme at Disney , its parent company. Under its chief executive, Jim Morris, the animation studio is prioritising films with 'clear mass appeal', moving away from director-driven, autobiographical narratives such as Turning Red and towards existing intellectual property: Toy Story 5, Incredibles 3 and Coco 2 are all in development; Toy Story 5 will premiere on March 6th, 2026. Brad Garrett, for one, is not worried. 'I started working with them early on,' he says. 'A Bug's Life was my first Pixar film, which is remarkable. I've been doing cartoons since the 1980s. But when Pixar came along, me and everyone else thought, wow, this is the new frontier. They do it like no one else. They're so incredibly collaborative. The work the animators do is unprecedented. It's an honour to be part of it.' [ Dismayed by pop culture's shift towards Trump? Then you might be one of the people to blame Opens in new window ] 'I've been telling everyone how surreal it is for me,' Yonas adds. 'Because, when I was four or five, I saw my first Pixar movies, Toy Story and Up. And those are still two of my favourite movies to this day. So to be in one, especially an original Pixar film, and to be the lead, is a big, big deal for me, and I'm very grateful for it.' Elio is in cinemas from Friday, June 20th
The Irish Sun
5 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Trent Alexander-Arnold already showing signs of old class in Real Madrid shirt even if he's put a new name on the back
T RENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD was caught up in a Club World Cup clash far more dramatic than anyone could have predicted as he made his Real Madrid debut. The ex- Advertisement 12 Trent Alexander Arnold launched his Real Madrid career on the right of defence as an inverted wing-back Credit: Alamy 12 He drifted into midfield when Real had the ball Credit: Getty And the He saw Gonzalo Garcia slot a brilliant team goal to launch But former Al-Hilal were furious with a spot-kick award against Mohammed Al Qahtani when his arm went across Fran Garcia's face on the corner of the box in the 90th minute. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL But ex- Meanwhile, TAA was not just in a new top, he had a new moniker on the back - simply "Trent". So was his first Real game just as straightforward? Advertisement Most read in Football Here's our man STEVE BRENNER 's verdict on the 26-year-old's performance. 12 Alexander-Arnold outshone the very quiet Jude Bellingham Credit: Getty 12 He was heavily involved up and down the right side 12 TAA is looking forward to his future - with something new on his back Credit: Getty Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK An attacking threat? With the searing afternoon temperatures in Miami edging closer to a sweltering 33 degrees, the tempo of the game was a long way off the standard intensity. 12 Trent Alexander-Arnold reveals he's been 'waiting a long time' to join Real Madrid For most of the first half, Alexander-Arnold, along with his new pals, tried to conserve energy when possible. Advertisement But it was his initial pass deep in his own half that started the move which ended with Gonzalo Garcia's 34th-minute opener. The England international pumped his fists into the air when the ball hit the back of the net. Early in the second half, he found himself on the edge of the box with the ball at his feet, but the killer pass just eluded him. He also appeared to operate slightly more centrally after the break as Real searched for a winner. Advertisement Defensively sound? The former Liverpool man was operating in an inverted wing-back role, which saw him largely tuck inside closer to the centre-back pairing of fellow new boy When the Spanish giants were in possession, TAA drifted into midfield and was on hand to try and penetrate a robust Al-Hilal backline. He made a couple of key interceptions as the first half wore on — including one which helped set up the opener — and looked defensively solid. 12 Alexander Arnold was straight into the thick of the action Credit: Alamy Advertisement 12 This graph shows how he never switched flanks 12 The Three Lions ace looked solid defensively Has he settled in already? Certainly looked that way. Having fellow England international With Alonso also starting afresh in the Spanish capital, everyone, including Trent, is beginning with a clean slate. Advertisement Any surprises/anything new? Just having 'TRENT' on the back of his shirt was a new look for the 26-year-old. At Liverpool, and for England, the Scouser was the main man for free-kicks. But when one was given on 57 minutes, it was Turkish ace Arda Güler who stepped up—and subsequently failed to deliver. His race was run after 64 minutes, with Alonso keen to bring on fresh legs, but the sparks from his debut were promising enough. What did he say about it? "It's an incredible day for me to make my Real Madrid debut. It's something almost every player dreams of so to be able to achieve it is huge for me. Advertisement "Of course, there's some disappointment in there because we haven't won the game. It's the mentality you need to have as a Real Madrid player is to want and expect to win every game that you play in. "It's disappointing not to win. But there were a lot of positives, especially in the second half." On the support... "Incredible. I felt the support from the moment I signed for the club. It's absolutely sensational. The fanbase that is truly global all over the world. You feel it every single day, the fans at the training ground and the hotel and on social media. Advertisement "It's a huge thank you for that. We dominated the stands today, which was incredible. The support was truly amazing." On the game... "I think in the second half we kept the ball really well - that is what we lacked in the first half. "In this heat, it is important to keep hold of the ball as best as you can. We were in and around their box a lot. Advertisement "We put in crosses, got shots off but it just wasn't meant to be. We also had the penalty late on. These things do happen in football. "Nobody is to blame and we take the positives, and we have things we can work on. I am sure we will do that going into the next game." And on how long he's been learning Spanish... "Not too long. A couple of months. It was something important that I had to do. I want to adapt and give myself the best start possible going to a new country, new city and new team. Advertisement "It is important to show the intent that I want to embrace the culture, immerse myself in it and try to adapt as best as possible." 12 Alexander-Arnold looked at home in a clash that was also Real legend Xabi Alonso's first game back at the club as manager Credit: Getty 12 In contrast Bellingham was largely anonymous for the Spanish giants Credit: Getty 12 Advertisement
Irish Times
7 hours ago
- Irish Times
Real Madrid held by Al-Hilal on Trent Alexander Arnold's debut
Fifa Club World Cup: Real Madrid 1 (Garcia 34) Al-Hilal 1 (Neves 41) Xabi Alonso had said in the build-up that he was going to 'ignite' his players at this Club World Cup , that Real Madrid were ready to rock'n'roll. In the event this was something a little more ragged and downbeat, pub-rock, at times even a meandering shoe-gaze in Miami as a feisty and well-drilled Al-Hilal kept the new-era Madrid at arm's length in a Group H opener that ended in a 1-1 draw, flickered but never caught fire, and saw Federico Valverde miss an 92nd-minute penalty to win it. Madrid announced before the game that they had sold 60,000 tickets for this game at a 65,000 capacity stadium, which seems a little hard on Al-Hilal, who are owned by the Saudi government and as a result are basically paying for the whole show. As expected the Hard Rock was a sun-dappled sea of white at kick-off, Madrid the greatest portable source of eyeball-power at this made-for-TV show. And this was another strange event at the mothership of all strange events. Most obviously the game kicked off at 3pm local time in mid-June, a time of day when crossing the road here is likely to induce a state of full-body sock-soaking hydration, and trying to run is like hurling yourself head first into the sun. READ MORE In other staging news, Fifa revived its No To Racism messaging, running a short video to that effect before kick-off. There was a clear response here to criticism of kowtowing to the nearest authoritarian politician, with the watering down of that message to Football Unites The World, which has the added drawback of being demonstrably incorrect. Alonso had said in the build-up that Madrid needed 'closure with the past'. Well, good luck with that. But he picked a fresh-looking team here, with the rebranded Trent making his debut, just across from fellow newbie Dean Huijsen, and 21-year-old Gonzalo García at the point of the attack. Kylian Mbappé was absent with a fever, possibly even the strain of football fever Gianni Infantino has claimed is currently sweeping the US, albeit in asymptomatic form judging by the world beyond the stadiums. Federico Valverde misses a penalty kick that is saved by Yassine Bounou. Photograph: Sandra Montanez/Getty It was a little jarring to see the on-field banners at the Hard Rock, Real Madrid's badge enchained within the golden links of the Club World Cup logo. And fascinating also to see Alexander-Arnold for the first time in match-day kit, a familiarly shambling, bandy-legged figure, starting at right-back in a regulation 4-3-3 at kick-off. But it was Al-Hilal who almost opened the scoring with two minutes gone, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic drawing a save from Thibaut Courtois with a fierce drive. And with 13 minutes gone Marcos Leonardo really should have opened the scoring for Al-Hilal, deflecting a mis-hit shot just wide after João Cancelo had made ground on the right. Vinícius was booked for the crime of evading a potential Kalidou Koulibaly shin-raker. Alexander-Arnold gave the ball away a few times, most notably in the lead-up to a break that ended with the ball in the net, only to be rescued by the offside flag. Alonso had spoken a lot about the need for Bellingham to be 'in the right position', mentioning this three times in the space of 30 seconds in his prematch conference, although at times in the opening half-hour Madrid had little to offer here apart from his roving note of menace. But they scored almost immediately after the hydration break. It came from a break the length of the pitch, started by Alexander-Arnold winning a challenge. The ball was shuttled through midfield via Vinícius to Rodrygo on the right. His cross was perfectly curled into the path of García. The finish was a little fumbled, bobbling off one foot on to the other, the end result a dink over the goalkeeper. So the age of Alonso had its first goal. And it conceded its first with 40 minutes gone after Raul Asencio had given away a needless penalty, wrapping an arm around Leonardo as he veered away inside the box. Rúben Neves buried the kick to make it 1-1. Al-Hilal might have had a second, Salem al-Dawsari shooting just wide after a neat combination, drifting in from the Madrid right. Arda Guler came on for Asencio at half-time, as Madrid stuck with the flat four, Aurélien Tchouaméni dropping into the backline. And Guler hit the bar almost immediately after a long, fading Alexander-Arnold pass had put Vinícius in space, before Garcia drew a goalline reflex save from Yassine Bounou as Al-Hilal lived, briefly, on the edge. Bellingham showed some drive and trickery on the right. He wandered to the left. He gestured at his team-mates. Is this free radical role going to remain part of the Alonso blueprint? Madrid began to dominate possession in the Al-Hilal half, playing in the merciful shade of the Hard Rock's vast square wedding cake roof. Alexander-Arnold came off with 65 minutes gone of a so-so, occasionally promising debut, replaced by Lucas Vázquez. The game drifted into hydration breaks and low-throttle lulls in temperatures that never strayed below a brutally humid 90 degrees. Al-Hilal might have taken the lead after Vázquez gave the ball away, but Leonardo clumped his finish over the bar with pond-wader finesse. The crowd fanned itself and sat in a very Madrid kind of semi-hush, awaiting their moment. Vinícius was subbed off to a disappointed groan from Merengues diaspora. Luka Modric came on to the largest roar of the half to that point. At the death it seemed Madrid might produce a classic late assertion of their Darwinian right to win as they were awarded a soft VAR-reviewed penalty, but Valverde's kick was saved. – Guardian
