Yassine Bounou saved a penalty in added time to help Al-Hilal Saudi earn a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in their FIFA Club World Cup Group H opener at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. This result ended Real Madrid’s perfect record against Saudi teams.
It was the start of a new chapter for Real Madrid, with Xabi Alonso managing his first match, and debuts for Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Al-Hilal also had a fresh start under new coach Simone Inzaghi, who had recently taken over after leaving Inter Milan.
Al-Hilal began strongly, with Sergej Milinković-Savić forcing a save from Thibaut Courtois. Real were slow to get going, and Marcos Leonardo missed a great chance after a good pass from Salem Al-Dawsari.
Renan Lodi thought he had scored for Al-Hilal, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Real were under pressure and lucky not to concede when Hassan Al-Tambakti headed wide from a Rúben Neves corner.
Despite Al-Hilal’s strong play, Real Madrid took the lead through Gonzalo García, who finished off a fast counterattack after a fine assist from Rodrygo. But Al-Hilal got the equaliser before half-time when Raúl Asencio gave away a penalty for pulling down Leonardo. Rúben Neves calmly scored from the spot.
That was Asencio’s final contribution, as Alonso brought on Arda Güler for the second half. Güler nearly made an instant impact, hitting the crossbar after a pass from Vinícius Júnior. Vinícius later set up García again, but Bounou made a great save.
Late in the match, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty after a long VAR check for handball by Mohammed Al-Qahtani. Federico Valverde stepped up to take it, but Bounou made a brilliant save to keep the score level and give Al-Hilal a deserved point.
