Miami: A superb late penalty save by Yassine Bounou helped Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal prevent Real Madrid from a victory in their FIFA Club World Cup opener, which ended in an 11 draw on Thursday night in Miami.
Al Hilal attempted to control their opponents from the start, but Renan Lodi's goal was disallowed for offside.
Nonetheless, it was the multiple La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners who broke the deadlock, with Rodrygo passing low for Gonzalo Garcia, who calmly scored in the 34th minute.
The Saudi giants quickly retaliated after Raul Asenscio tackled Marcos Leonardo in the box, and Ruben Neves equalized the score by outsmarting Thibaut Courtois in the 41st minute.
Arda Güler was brought in by Xabi Alonso in the second half, and the 20-year-old immediately hit the crossbar. Real Madrid's chance to earn full points at the end of the second half was denied when Bounou brilliantly saved Federico Valverde's penalty, which was awarded after Mohammed Alqahtani committed a foul.
After the game, Garcia said, "It is a bittersweet feeling," according to FIFA's official website. We wanted to win and get off to a good start. We fought until the finish, but the opponent played well. I am confident that the point we earned today will be significant in the upcoming matches.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois also noted his team's difficulty in finding rhythm and pace in the first half.
I think we played better in the second half, and I feel that if we keep on this route, we will win several games, he said.
Bounou, a match-saving hero for Al Hilal, said that one must have complete concentration when playing Real Madrid, describing them as a tough team with excellent players.
It was not a simple match. The opponent is formidable, with world-class players, and competes at an extremely high level. They were strong in the second half, but we knew how to protect our goal. Thank God for the penalty save; as a goalkeeper, you have to perform your duties on the pitch, he said.
Xabi, the Real Madrid coach, spoke about his mixed feelings following the game.
It's a shame we couldn't secure the victory. To be honest, I did not really enjoy our first half performance. We played better in the second half. We were more balanced and handled the ball better. I will take that with me. We attempted to play extremely quickly in the first half, but we lost the ball frequently. We played better in the second half and were able to overcome the opponent, but we lacked a goal to win. Missing a penalty is something that can happen, and that's it, he said.
