Real Madrid advanced to the Club World Cup final with a 4-1 win over Egypt’s Al Ahly in Morocco on Wednesday, thanks to goals from Vinicius Jr, Federico Valverde, Rodrygo, and Sergio Arribas.
Real Madrid experienced a home field advantage despite missing several key starters, including forward Karim Benzema and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, as local fans turned up the volume at the sold-out Prince Moulay Abdallah stadium in Rabat.
Real Madrid’s white jerseys outnumbered Al Ahly’s red by a large margin, and Moroccan fans even displayed a massive banner in support of the Spanish giants, creating a vibrant atmosphere and a din that is unusual for a Club World Cup in what was supposed to be a neutral stadium.
They struggled to break the deadlock, however, against Al Ahly’s well organised defence, with the Egyptians threatening on the counter-attack.
Vinicius shot wide in the 28th minute, and Rodrygo hit the post, but Real scored just before halftime.
Aliou Dieng made a poor pass to Mahmoud Metwaly, who lost the ball under pressure from Vinicius and dinked a fine strike over the goalkeeper, his 50th goal in 202 Real Madrid appearances.
Just after the break, Valverde doubled Real’s lead by tapping into an empty net after the goalkeeper had palmed away Rodrygo’s point-blank strike.
Vinicius wasted two chances to extend the lead, and Al Ahly got a lifeline in the 65th minute when Eduardo Camavinga tripped Hussein El Shahat inside the area and defender Ali Maaloul tucked away the penalty.
Afsha missed a close-range sitter for Al Ahly, and despite Real’s Luka Modric missing a penalty three minutes from the end, Rodrygo and substitute Arribas completed a comfortable win in stoppage time with close-range strikes.
After defeating South American champions Flamengo 3-2 in the first semi-final, Real will face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the final in Rabat on Saturday.
After defeating South American champions Flamengo 3-2 in the first semi-final, Real will face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the final in Rabat on Saturday.
“We came here with a lot of excitement to play the final,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
“We are both excited and concerned about playing in the final. We need to rest, but we don’t have much time. To win, we need to get plenty of rest.”
Real Madrid have travelled to Morocco to begin their Club World Cup journey, where they have been drawn in the semifinals against Egyptian side Al Ahly.
The European participants in this year’s competition are Madrid, the defending UEFA Champions League winners, who are tasked with maintaining the continent’s dominance in the event. The European participant has won the last nine Club World Cups and has never failed to reach the FIFA tournament’s final in its current format.
How to watch Real Madrid vs Al Ahly
USA (Wed, Feb. 8) 14:00 ETFox Sports 2, Fox DeportesfuboTV, Fox Sports Go
UK (Wed, Feb. 8) 19:00 GMT —FIFA+
Australia (Thu, Feb. 9)06:00 AESTSBSSBS On Demand
Canada (Wed, Feb. 8)14:00 ET —FIFA+
IndiaWed, Feb. 823:30 IST —FIFA+
New Zealand(Thu, Feb. 9)08:00 NZSTSky Sport 1Sky Go NZ
Malaysia(Thu, Feb. 9)03:00 MT —FIFA+
Singapore(Thu, Feb. 9)03:00 SST —FIFA+
Hong Kong(Thu, Feb. 9) 03:00 HKST —FIFA+