Al Hilal bounce back from Osimhen snub to shock Real Madrid in Club World Cup draw
Real Madrid were unable to find a way past Al Hilal in the Club World Cup despite being awarded a controversial late penalty
Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal opened their Club World Cup account without the recognised striker signing that they craved, but it mattered little as they held European giants Real Madrid to a shock 1-1 draw.
Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was excellent between the sticks for Al Hilal, saving a late penalty from Federico Valverde to secure a point against Real Madrid in a game largely dominated by the Saudi Pro League side.
How it happened
Al Hilal dominated the opening proceedings and thought they had opened the scoring early in the first half through Renan Lodi, but the former Atletico Madrid full-back was adjudged to have been offside.
Despite Al Hilal creating the better chances, Real Madrid took the lead against the run of play thanks to youngster Gonzalo Garcia after a brilliant assist from Rodrygo.
Los Blancos were not ahead for long, as just seven minutes after taking the lead, Al Hilal were back level from the penalty spot. A foul in the box by Raul Asensio was punished by a well-taken spot kick from Ruben Neves, who sent Thibaut Courtois the wrong way to restore parity.
Real Madrid had a golden opportunity to claim all three points in additional time after they were awarded a controversial penalty, but Bounou had other ideas, pulling off a magnificent stop from Valverde to keep the score at 1-1 and seal a massive upset in Al Hilal’s opening Club World Cup game.
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