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Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for the fifth time in their history with a 5-3 victory over Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal.
Los Blancos advanced to Saturday’s showpiece event after defeating Al Ahly in the semi-finals, while Al-Hilal defeated Brazilian giants Flamengo in the final four.
Real Overcome their Saudi Opposition
Carlo Ancelotti’s side scored twice through Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde, while Karim Benzema also scored for the Champions League holders.
Real Madrid’s previous triumph in the competition came in 2018, but they have now won the 2022 edition, putting them two trophies ahead of Barcelona in terms of Club World Cup trophies.
Benzema was picked in Real Madrid’s starting XI after making the journey to Morocco thanks to his quick recovery from a minor hamstring injury, and it came as no surprise when the Frenchman was involved in his side’s opening goal of the match.
Indeed, Benzema paired with Valverde in a deep position before passing to Vinicius, who managed to slip the ball under the onrushing goalie to give Los Blancos the lead in the 13th minute.
In the 15th minute, Al-Hilal came close to equalizing when Mohamed Kanno found space in a dangerous position before finding Luciano Vietto, but the striker’s low shot was just wide of the post.
The Saudi Arabians were forced to pay for their lost opportunity when Valverde scored his 10th goal of the season in the 19th minute.
From Al-Hilal perspective, it was an untidy goal, as a low Luka Modric cross ultimately broke for Valverde, who found the back of the net with a volley despite having three Al-Hilal defenders between himself and the goalkeeper when he struck the ball.
However, Ramon Diaz’s team did manage to cut the deficit in half in the 26th minute, when Kanno delivered a pass into Moussa Marega, who broke into the Real Madrid box before blasting past Andriy Lunin, with the strength on the strike enough to overcome the Spanish club’s number two goalkeeper.
Real Madrid had a chance to score a third goal shortly before halftime when Valverde found Benzema, but the striker hit the post from close range.
Second-Half Sees Ancelotti’s Side Win Out
Benzema scored his first goal in the 54th minute, hitting a close-range cross from Vinicius into the back of the net.
Real Madrid subsequently seized the lead in the 58th minute, with Valverde scoring from inside the box after receiving a low cross from Dani Carvajal.
Al-Hilal added a second in the 63rd minute with a smart finish into the bottom corner, but Real Madrid scored their fifth in the 69th minute, with Vinicius looping one into the far corner following nice work from Dani Ceballos.
Vietto added his second goal in the 79th minute, expertly twisting inside the Real Madrid area before reaching the back of the net following good work down the left from Michael.
Al-Hilal might have had a fourth in the 81st minute when Michael found Marega, but the forward blasted wide, with Los Blancos eventually winning 5-3.
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