La Liga fans was stunned on wednesday night as Real Madrid, with Xabi Alonso making his debut in the dugout, was held to a surprising 1-1 draw by Al-Hilal in their FIFA Club World Cup opener in Miami.
A dramatic stoppage-time penalty save by Yassine Bounou denied Federico Valverde and ensured the Saudi side snatched a crucial point, ending Los Blancos’ perfect record against Saudi Arabian teams, Footballrover reports.
Al-Hilal’s early dominance shakes Real Madrid
Despite Madrid ushering in new faces like Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold, it was Al-Hilal, under new boss Simone Inzaghi, who started with fire.
They threatened early, with Sergej Milinković-Savić testing Thibaut Courtois and Marcos Leonardo missing a golden chance.
Renan Lodi even had a goal disallowed for the Riyadh outfit, showing their intent to challenge the European giants.
Bounou’s heroics deny Madrid late drama
Against the run of play, Gonzalo García fired the La Liga side ahead after a brilliant Rodrygo pass.
However, the Saudi Pro League team quickly levelled through a Rúben Neves penalty after Raúl Asencio’s foul.
The second half saw Arda Güler almost score for Madrid, but it was the dramatic VAR-awarded penalty in stoppage time that set the stage for Bounou.
His incredible save from Federico Valverde’s spot-kick secured a well-deserved draw for the Saudi outfit, leaving many fans stunned over the Club world tournament opener.
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