MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid tenure got off to a disappointing start as the Spanish giant was held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the Club World Cup on Wednesday.
In his first game as coach of the 15-time European champion, Alonso was denied victory when Federico Valverde’s stoppage-time penalty was saved by Yassine Bounou.
The VAR-awarded spot kick looked like it would hand Madrid a reprieve after being pushed all the way at Hard Rock Stadium by Al Hilal under new coach Simone Inzaghi.
Gonzalo Garcia scored for Madrid in the 34th minute, but Al Hilal equalized from the penalty spot seven minutes later when Ruben Neves stepped up and sent Thibaut Courtois the wrong way.
Madrid was given a chance at victory when VAR spotted a foul by Mohammed Alqahtani on Fran Garcia in the box.
Valverde stepped up to take the penalty two minutes into added time, but his low effort into the bottom corner was saved by Bounou, sparking wild celebrations from the Al Hilal goalkeeper’s teammates.
While it was an underwhelming start for Alonso, Inzaghi’s Al Hilal made an early statement of its potential by holding its own against Madrid.
It might have been even better. Leonardo had three chances in front of goal and failed to hit the target. Had star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic been fit and available, Al Hilal could have been celebrating a win.
“We know that things take time. We know that some things need to change. I saw a good reaction in the second half. We need good results here because it is a tough competition, but everything takes time.” — Alonso.
