Bounou saves spot-kick as Hilal hold Real

Real Madrid C. F. 1-1 Al Hilal | Group H

Real Madrid goal: Gonzalo Garcia (34)
Al Hilal goal: Ruben Neves pen (41)

Yassine Bounou saved a late penalty as Al Hilal earned an unexpected but deserved draw with Real Madrid C.F. in their FIFA Club World Cup™ curtain-raiser at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

The Blue Wave took the game to their illustrious opponents from the outset and had a Renan Lodi goal ruled out for offside. Los Blancos nevertheless struck first. Rodrygo crossed low for Garcia, whose right-foot shot came back off his left foot and flew in off his leg.

Al Hilal’s response was swift. Raul Asencio pulled down Marcos Leonardo in the box, and Ruben Neves duly sent Thibaut Courtois the wrong way to equalise.

Arda Guler was sent on by Xabi Alonso, who was making his debut at the Real reins, for the second half and the 20-year-old rattled the crossbar within a minute. At the half’s end, Real had a golden chance to snatch victory. Mohammed Alqahtani fouled Garcia just inside the 18-yard box, but Bounou flung himself south-east to stop Federico Valverde’s spot-kick.

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Quotes

“It’s a bittersweet feeling. We wanted the win, we wanted to start with a good result. We fought until the end, but the opponent played a great game. I’m sure the point we get today will be important in the upcoming matches.”
Gonzalo Garcia, Real Madrid forward

“We were too slow in the first half; we struggled to find our rhythm, and they were better. Its true that we managed to score an early goal, but they tied the score with a penalty. I think we played better in the second half, and I believe that if we continue on the same path we’ll win some matches”.
Thibaut Courtois, Real Madrid goalkeeper

“It wasn’t an easy match. The opponent is strong, has top-class players, and plays at a very high level. They were tough in the second half, but we knew how to defend our goal. Thank God for the penalty save as a goalkeeper, you have to do your job on the pitch. You need full focus against Real Madrid because they’re a difficult team with great players, and we stayed fully focused.”
Yassine Bounou, Al Hilal goalkeeper

“Our ambition was to win, but we played a good match. We didn’t come here for tourism, we came from Saudi Arabia to win and make our country proud. We don’t pay attention to criticism or pressure. We’re a united team, we focus on the pitch, and we play together as one unit. Our goal is to reach the Round of 16, then take things step by step. Today, we proved that the Saudi league has quality and talent. We played a great game.”
Salem Al-Dawsari, Al Hilal forward

“It’s a mixed bag of feelings. It’s a pity we weren’t able to get the win. I didn’t really enjoy our performance in the first half, to be honest. We played better in the second. We were more balanced and handled the ball better. I’ll take that with me
. We tried to play very fast in the first half and lost the ball a lot. In the second half we played better, we managed to subdue the opponent but we lacked the goal to win. Missing a penalty is something that can happen, and that’s it.”
Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid coach

Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match

Gonzalo Garcia (Real Madrid)