Real Madrid defeated Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the final of the FIFA Club World Cup to win their fifth title in Morocco after an eight-goal thriller.
Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde’s braces complemented Karim Benzema’s goal while Moussa Marega and Luciano Vietto (2) managed to give the Spanish champions a late scare during the 5-3 win.
Carlo Ancelotti decided to start Benzema after the striker missed their 4-1 semifinal win over Al Ahly. The Frenchman was heavily involved in the opening goal, playing Vinicius through who beat goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf in the 13th minute.
Valverde doubled his side’s lead just two minutes later, punishing a poor clearance by smashing the ball home.
Marega brought his side back in the 26th minute after beating the offside trap and easily finishing past Andriy Lunin to suddenly shift the momentum towards his side.
The goal started a back-and-forth between the two teams that lasted until the 54th minute when Benzema scored his side’s third to ease their nerves before Valverde seemingly sealed the title with his second goal for a 4-1 lead.
Luciano Vietto had other ideas as he scored twice at either side of Vinicius’ second goal as the scoreline read 5-3 heading towards the end.
Al Hilal could have ensured real late drama if not for a bad miss from Marega which allowed Real Madrid to win their 5th Club World Cup trophy, the most by any team.
The Spanish giants have now won all five finals they have played in the competition.
Madrid previously won three titles in four years between 2014 and 2018.
