REAL MADRID have won the Club World Cup after beating Al-Hilal 5-3 in an entertaining final.
The Champions League holders claimed the title thanks to braces from Fede Valverde and Vinicius Jr and one from Karim Benzema.
They are the 10th successive European club to lift the trophy as Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal failed to keep the Spaniards at bay.
Vinicius opened the scoring in the 13th minute, capping a fine move by sliding the ball past keeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf.
Valverde doubled the LaLiga giants’ advantage five minutes later when the Uruguayan expertly fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.
Saudi Pro League champions Al-Hilal did pull a goal back midway through the first half through Moussa Marega as he finished off a lovely through ball from Mohammed Kanno.
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But Benzema restored Real Madrid’s two-goal cushion nine minutes into the second period, latching onto a Vinicius pass and dispatching prolifically.
And it was 4-1 before the hour mark as Valverde helped himself to his second of the night, lashing a Dani Carvajal delivery beyond the helpless Al-Mayouf.
Al-Hilal found a second consolation goal in the 63rd minute through former Fulham man Luciano Vietto.
But the 14-time European champions were soon three goals to the good once more as Dani Ceballos found Vinicus who made no mistake from close range.
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Vietto bagged his second of the game to make it 5-3, before Madrid saw it out to claim the title.
Al Hilal could have made a real game of it, but Moussa Marega missed an open goal to make it 5-4.
The Club World Cup is Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s first silverware of the season as they sit eight points adrift of Barcelona in LaLiga.
They previously won the Club World Cup four times between 2014 and 2018.
And Los Blancos will be hoping this triumph can catapult them to success in the Champions League as they prepare to take on Liverpool in the last-16 later this month.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
