Real Madrid beat Al Hilal 5-3 to win 5th Club World Cup

Rabat, Feb 11 (EFE).- Vinicius Jr. and Fede Valverde had a brace each here Saturday to lead Real Madrid 5-3 over Saudi side Al Hilal in the Club World Cup final.

The Blancos hoisted the trophy for a record fifth time, dashing Al Hilal’s dream of becoming the first non-European club to win the competition since Brazil’s Corinthians in 2012.

Despite having the ball only a third of the time, the squad from Riyadh showed no signs of being intimidated and battled to the very end in front of 51,000 people – most of them Real Madrid supporters – at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The LaLiga team led by two after 20 minutes on goals by Vini and Valverde, but Moussa Marega halved the deficit for Al Hilal in the 26th minute.

The score remained 2-1 until the 54th minute, when Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema scored with an assist from Vini. The margin increased to 4-1 just four minutes later with Valverde’s second of the night.

Luciano Vietto replied for Al Hilal in the 63rd minute, exploiting a defensive lapse by Antonio Rüdiger, only to see Vini make it 5-2 in the 69th.

Vietto, a key contributor to Al Hilal’s upset victory over Flamengo in the semifinal, rose to the occasion again, scoring in the 79th minute to reduce the gap to two goals, but that proved to be the last gasp for the team from Riyadh.

Flamengo beat Egypt’s Al Ahly 4-2 earlier Saturday in the third-place match.

EFE

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