Real Madrid has emerged victorious in the inaugural FIFA Intercontinental Cup, defeating Mexican side Pachuca 3-0 in the final. The match, held at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, saw Kylian Mbappe return to the same ground where he scored a hat-trick two years ago in the FIFA World Cup finals between France and Argentina.
Although the French forward was on the loosing side that night, he was on the winning side on Wednesday as he, Rodrygo, and Vinicius Jr scored for the Spanish giants.
Mbappe, who had missed Real Madrid’s previous game due to injury, opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a tap-in from close range after Vinicius Jr rounded Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno before providing the assist. Rodrygo doubled Real Madrid’s lead in the 53rd minute with a sublime curling strike from the edge of the box.
Pachuca, winners of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, struggled to create scoring opportunities against a dominant Real Madrid side but captain Salomon Rondon still forced Thibaut Courtois into a stretching save with a long-range free-kick, but that was as close as Pachuca came to scoring.
Vinicius Jr, who was named Men’s Player of the Year at the FIFA Best Awards just a day earlier, added a third goal for Real Madrid from the penalty spot in the 84th minute after Lucas Vazquez was brought down by Oussama Idrissi.
The FIFA Intercontinental Cup is a replacement for the FIFA Club World Cup, which will now take place next summer. The tournament featured the winners of five continental club competitions competing in a straight knockout format. Real Madrid, as the UEFA Champions League winners, did not participate in the previous rounds.
With their 3-0 win over Pachuca, Real Madrid has claimed the inaugural FIFA Intercontinental Cup title. The victory marks a successful end to the year for the Spanish giants, who will look to build on this momentum in the upcoming season.
Real Madrid’s next match is their final game of 2024, a home fixture in La Liga against Sevilla three days before Christmas.
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