Real Madrid had their chances, but they just couldn’t make them count. They kicked off the Xabi Alonso era with a rather dull 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal. Honestly, they should have come away with the win; there were several moments where they could’ve sealed it, including a penalty in the dying moments. Yet, they ended up settling for a frustrating draw in their Club World Cup opener.
Al-Hilal looked the more adventurous side at the start, applying pressure on Madrid’s right flank and targeting debutant Trent Alexander-Arnold. Renan Lodi nearly put them ahead after a slip-up from the ex-Liverpool man, but he was just a yard offside when he found the net.
After a rather lackluster first 30 minutes, Los Blancos finally found their groove and took the lead. Young Gonzalo Garcia popped up at the far post, managing to scuff the ball over Yassine Bounou for Madrid's first goal under Alonso, thanks to a nice pass from Rodrygo. But Al-Hilal didn’t back down; Raul Asencio carelessly gave away a penalty, and Ruben Neves made no mistake in converting it.
In the second half, Madrid really stepped up their game. They were almost rewarded early on when Vinicius Jr finally got into the action, sprinting down the left and cutting back for Arda Guler, who launched a volley that rattled the crossbar.
Then came a golden chance to clinch the match in stoppage time. Federico Valverde lined up for a penalty, but alas, Bounou guessed right and denied him. It wasn’t a bad performance by any means, but it certainly wasn’t the start Alonso had hoped for.
There’s definitely some disappointment not to have come away with a win. You know, as a Real Madrid player, you’re expected to win every match. Still, there were positives to take away, especially from that second half.
“I felt the support from the moment I signed for the club,” he shared. “The fanbase is truly global, and you can feel it every single day. A huge thank you for that. We really owned the stands today, which was incredible.”
He mentioned he’s been learning the language for a couple of months now. “It was something important I had to do. It’s vital to show I want to embrace the culture and adapt as much as I can,” he added.
Before the match, Alonso noted that Madrid needed “closure with the past.” Good luck with that! Madrid has a way of living off its past glories. But he fielded a fresh-looking squad, with “Trent” making his debut alongside fellow newcomer Dean Huijsen and 21-year-old Gonzalo García leading the attack.
Kylian Mbappé was out with a fever—maybe even that football fever Gianni Infantino claimed is taking over the US, though it seemed pretty mild outside the stadiums.
So, we finally got to see Trent Alexander-Arnold in his match-day kit, looking like his usual self—bandy-legged and all—starting at right-back in a standard 4-3-3 formation. But it was Al-Hilal who nearly struck first, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic forcing a save from Thibaut Courtois just two minutes in. And not long after, Marcos Leonardo really should have scored for Al-Hilal, only to deflect a mis-hit shot just wide. Then, Vinícius got booked for dodging a potential tackle from Kalidou Koulibaly. Alexander-Arnold had a shaky start, giving the ball away a few times, most notably before a break that ended with the ball in the Madrid net—thankfully, an offside flag saved them. Alonso had emphasized the need for Jude Bellingham to find his place on the pitch. Still, in those opening moments, it felt like Madrid had little to offer beyond his threatening presence.
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