Real Madrid beat Al Ahly with many difficulties and a misleading win (4-1), this Wednesday in Rabat, and qualified for the Club World Cup final, in which they will face Al Hilal on Saturday, who dismissed Flamengo from the tournament on Tuesday.
The European champion prevailed with goals from the Brazilians Vinicius (42) and Rodrygo (92), the Uruguayan Fede Valverde (46) and Sergio Arribas (98), while for Al Ahly the Tunisian Ali Maaloul (65) was reduced from a penalty.
Still limping after a difficult World Cup comeback, with several defeats and a full infirmary -six injured-, Real Madrid managed the game thanks to the quality of their players against a brave Al Ahly capable of creating clear scoring situations.
– Gala atmosphere –
A large tifo with the Moroccan flag and the white shirt with the number 14 -the club’s Champions League- occupied an entire background of the Príncipe Moulay Abdallah stadium when both teams appeared. FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Real Madrid player Florentino Pérez were watching in the box.
At the other bend, the Al Ahly faithful lit flares as a minute’s silence was observed for those killed in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. The spectators even silenced the Egyptian fans, who shouted during the moment of respect.
In the early stages the fun was in the stands: ‘oles’ could be heard in the long transitions of Carlo Ancelotti’s team and after fifteen minutes the 43,000 spectators executed a perfect wave.
But the players claimed attention with a fun give and take of chances in which surprisingly none of them made it to the scoreboard.
For Real Madrid Antonio Rudiger headed centered (17), Vinicius opened his foot too wide in a pass into the net (28) after a pass into the hole by Rodrygo, who in the next action masterfully stung the post after a fine dribble.
Al Ahly were not far behind: Mohamed Sherif was close to completing a counterattack against the squad (18), center-back Mohamed Abdelmoneim finished off high with a header (26) and Hussein Elshahat tried with a whiplash (31) to which he responded with a save Andriy Lunin, substitute for the injured Thibaut Courtois.
Finally, Al Alhy shot himself in the foot and delivered the tray to make it 1-0: a mistake by his defense left Vinicius alone with the ball, who cold-bloodedly picked up the ball before Mohamed Elshenawy left.
“This, this, this is how Madrid wins!” the Moroccan fans intoned enthusiastically after the goal.
The Swiss coach of the African giant, Marcel Koller, had kept his word. His team was brave, but reality had put everyone in his place. Mistakes against Real Madrid are expensive.
– Camavinga gives away a penalty –
Al Alhy left the locker room asleep. Rodrygo lost a one-on-one against Elshenawy after a pass into space by Luka Modric, but Valverde appeared to erase a defender with a touch and release his leg to score.
But Eduardo Camavinga, converted into a left back in recent weeks, paid for his inexperience with a very clear penalty on Elshahat. Ali Maaloul tricked Lunin to score.
Al Ahly was back in the game and came close to equalizing with a very clear shot that went high from Mohamed Afsha (69).
The Egyptians harassed the Spanish, who seemed to breathe when the Uruguayan referee Andrés Matonte awarded Vinicius a penalty after consulting the VAR. Elshenawy guessed Modric’s intentions (88).
The one who did not forgive was Rodrygo, after a spectacular combination with Dani Ceballos, who left the Brazilian on a tray, whose little balloon this time did enter.
With everything decided, youth squad player Sergio Arribas scored the last goal as soon as he stepped onto the pitch.
