La Liga champions Real Madrid have managed to overcome their inconsistent run of form at home to beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly in the semifinals of the FIFA Club World Cup going on in Morocco on Wednesday evening.
The Los Blancos are currently 8 points behind rivals Barcelona on the La Liga table, but they put that behind them and also managed to get a 4-1 despite the absence of key players like Karim Benzema, Thibaut Courtois, and Eder Militao.
Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for the Los Blancos earlier in the game to set the tone for a 4-1 win.
It was just right for him to score the opening goal as he was the one who got the winning goal in the UEFA Champions League final last season. Furthermore, the goal is a stint of positivity for Vinicius, who has been under intense racial profiling in Spain from opposition fans.
Asides from Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, and Sergio Arribas all found the net later in the game. Luka Modric would have also found the back of the net from the penalty spot, but the Croatian midfielder missed the penalty moments after the Egyptians pulled one back.
The result means that Real Madrid would face Saudi Arabia club side Al Hilal in the final of the competition for an opportunity to win it. Al Ahly will face Brazilian side Flamengo in the third-place match.
There is no argument about Carlo Ancelotti’s perception of winning the FIFA Club World Cup after he stated before his team’s opening game in Morocco that playing at the FIFA World Cup shows that Real Madrid has been doing well recently.
“A Club World Cup is a very important event because it means you’ve done well to quality. We’re excited to play in Morocco, where we have many fans. We’ll look to cap off the fantastic season we had last year, and we’ll look to secure a boost for the rest of this season.” Ancelotti said.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu