Real Madrid, in an inconvenient ‘moment of truth,’ underwhelms in Club World Cup opener vs. Al Hilal

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Xabi Alonso has been Real Madrid’s coach for less than a month, but at the Club World Cup on Wednesday, he faced his first “moment of truth.” He was hired to recharge soccer’s most famous club, but rather than ease into the “project,” he was forced to plunge. And he plunged right into Al Hilal, which played Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw in their first game at this first-of-its-kind tournament.

The Saudi Arabian giants held their own against Europe’s winningest club, and held on for a point — thanks in part to a heroic penalty save from goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in second-half stoppage time.

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Gonzalo García, an academy product filling in for an ill Kylian Mbappé, had scored Real’s goal in the first half.

But five minutes later, Madrid’s Raúl Asencio conceded a silly penalty. Ruben Neves equalized from the spot.

Late in the second half, after Madrid was awarded a controversial penalty of its own, Federico Valverde’s attempt was denied by Bounou.

And at the end of an even 90 minutes, Real was exactly what and where it had been for much of the past season: underwhelming, relatively uninspiring, and unsatisfied.

Alonso arrived late last month to change that. He arrived to replace the revered Carlo Ancelloti, but at the end of a disappointing season of runner-up finishes. He was not hired to tear down and rebuild Los Blancos — Real Madrid doesn’t do such things — but typically, he’d have at least a summer to lay groundwork.

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Instead, he was thrown into a tournament with tens of millions of dollars on the line, one that Real Madrid higher-ups really want to win.

On one hand, he felt “tremendous excitement” as he started the “project.” He spoke Tuesday about transforming Madrid into a more “compact” team, one that moves as a unit, with “everyone involved in every phase.” That’s the team he began trying to build when he led his first training session on June 9.

On the other hand, he had an opponent to prepare for — and a darn good one at that.

Al Hilal also came to the Club World Cup at an ebb, and with a new coach, Simone Inzaghi. But it came having spent $550 million over the past two years, with the likes of João Cancelo and Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Malcolm, Bounou and Kalidou Koulibaly.

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And in Wednesday’s first half, it arguably outplayed Madrid. Milinkovic-Savic stung Thibaut Courtois’ fists with the first shot of the game. Al Hilal had more of the ball and more than twice as many shots through 45 minutes.

Real went ahead in the 34th minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold, one of two new star signings, launched a counterattack with an interception and an outlet pass. Vinicius Jr. led the break. García finished it off with a scruffy shot that looped over Bounou.

That goal, though, came against the run of play. And not long after, Al Hilal drew level from the penalty spot. Asencio’s challenge epitomized the sloppiness and impatience that plagued Madrid throughout the 2024-25 season.

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It was a deserved goal for the Saudi underdogs, though, and in the end a deserved result. They were a constant threat, whether with sustained possession or in transition. They are now in fantastic position to advance from a group that also features Mexico’s Pachuca and Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, will go back to the training ground. Mbappé, who came down with a fever earlier this week, should be back for the latter part of the group stage. Los Blancos remain a strong contender to win the Club World Cup, but they clearly have work to do.

This news was originally published on this post .

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