Al Hilal battle to impressive draw against Real Madrid in Club World Cup
Reuters A crowd of 62,415 - heavily populated with Real supporters - watched on as new manager Xabi Alonso's debut ended in frustration, with his side unable to find a late winner against a spirited and well-drilled Al Hilal outfit. (REUTERS/Hannah Mckay)
Federico Valverde missed an injury-time penalty as Real Madrid were held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in their Club World Cup clash at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday.
A crowd of 62,415 - heavily populated with Real supporters - watched on as new manager Xabi Alonso's debut ended in frustration, with his side unable to find a late winner against a spirited and well-drilled Al Hilal outfit.
Al Hilal started brightly, nearly taking the lead in the 19th minute when Salem Aldawsari's looping volley into the box found Marcos Leonardo, who fired narrowly wide.
Real gradually found their rhythm, with Rodrygo threatening from distance before they broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. Gonzalo, starting in place of the absent Kylian Mbappe, sparked a sweeping counterattack and continued his run into the box, where he delicately finished off Rodrygo's low cross after a slick exchange of passes.
The lead didn't last long. Four minutes before the break, Al Hilal were awarded a penalty after Raul Asencio was adjudged to have pulled down Marcos Leonardo. Ruben Neves stepped up and calmly converted to level the match.
Real pushed forward in the second half, with Arda Guler - introduced at the break - nearly restoring the lead as he crashed a volley off the crossbar from a Vinicius Jr. delivery. The Spanish side looked to be gaining control, and with just minutes left, were handed a golden chance to seal victory when Mohammed Al Qahtani was penalised for a hand to Fran Garcia's face during a tussle.Valverde stepped up, but his spot-kick was brilliantly saved by Bounou, ensuring Al Hilal earned a valuable point from a hard-fought contest.
'It was a very good match from my team,' said Italian coach Simone Inzaghi, who also took charge of Al Hilal for the first time. 'We played an excellent, organised game. We stood up to one of the top three teams in the world, and I'm very satisfied.'Alonso, meanwhile, acknowledged his team's slow start: 'In the first half we were missing a lot - both in possession and defensively. We gave the ball away too easily and lacked balance. These were things we had talked about, but it took us some time to adjust.'
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