Trent Alexander-Arnold #12 of Real Madrid
Yassine Bounou’s stoppage-time penalty save ensured a spirited Al Hilal Saudi held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in this Group H opener of the FIFA Club World Cup at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, ending Los Blancos’ perfect record against Saudi Arabian opposition (W2, D1).
This was the dawn of a new era for Real in Miami, with Xabi Alonso making his debut in the dugout, while Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold were making their first outings in the famous all-white strip.
It has also been a summer of change for Al Hilal, with former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi taking charge for the first time.0
The Italian would have been encouraged by his side’s start, as Sergej Milinković-Savić’s shot was tipped behind by Thibaut Courtois. Real had yet to wake up, and the Saudi Pro League side spurned a golden opportunity when Marcos Leonardo fired wide from Salem Al-Dawsari’s cut-back.
It looked like former Atl9tico Madrid man Renan Lodi had given the Riyadh outfit the lead with a clinical finish, but Real's blushes were spared by the linesman's flag.
Alonso’s team were on the ropes, and they were fortunate not to go a goal down when Hassan Al-Tambakti headed wide from a RFAben Neves corner.
However, Real took the lead against the run of play at the end of a blistering break when Gonzalo GarcDa scuffed home a finish past Yassine Bounou from Rodrygo’s sublime ball across the box.
But Al Hilal deservedly restored parity before HT when RaFAl Asencio was penalised for hauling down Leonardo, allowing Neves to convert from the spot.
Trent stats
That proved to be Asencio's final and damning act of the match, with Alonso electing to bring on Arda GFCler for the start of the second half.
The Turkish starlet almost had an immediate impact when he was spotted by VinDcius JFAnior, rifling his strike onto the crossbar. VinDcius then teed up Garcia with a teasing cross, but the latter was denied by Bono.0
Match stats
However, just when it looked like Al Hilal had done enough, referee Facundo Tello pointed to the spot following a lengthy VAR review, penalising Mohammed Al-Qahtani for a raised hand against Fran GarcDa.0
It looked like Real would steal the points at the death, but Bono made a superb save to deny Federico Valverde, handing the Blue Waves a well-deserved share of the spoils.
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