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New Delhi: Real Madrid were forced to settle for a dramatic 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal in their opening FIFA Club World Cup match in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium as a last-gasp penalty miss cost them all three points. Federico Valverde saw his stoppage-time spot-kick superbly saved by Yassine Bounou, capping off a frustrating night for debutants Xabi Alonso and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who were both hoping to mark their first appearances with a victory.

With the clock ticking into injury time, Los Blancos looked set to take all three points after a VAR review awarded them a late penalty as Al-Hilal’s Mohammed Al-Qahtani was judged to have caught Fran Garcia with a stray arm inside the box. Valverde stepped up to take the penalty, but Bounou produced a stunning save, diving low to his right to keep the score level.

That save capped off a strong performance from the Moroccan goalkeeper, who had already denied Gonzalo Garcia earlier in the half with a brilliant reflex stop.

Real Madrid struck first on the scoreboard when, on counter-attack, 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia lifted the ball over Bounou to give the Spanish giants the lead just after the half-hour mark. It was a clever finish but hardly reflective of how the match was unfolding at that point.

Al-Hilal had dominated possession and carved out several early chances before Garcia’s goal. They got their reward four minutes before the break when Ruben Neves slotted home a penalty after Marcos Leonardo was dragged down by Raul Asencio in the box.

Al-Hilal impresses under new boss Inzaghi

This match also marked Simone Inzaghi’s first in charge of Al-Hilal, following his exit from Inter Milan. Despite limited preparation time his side looked well-drilled and confident even in the absence of Aleksandar Mitrovic. The midfield trio of Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Al-Dawsari stood out, dictating play for long stretches.
If Leonardo had been more clinical with two golden chances in the second half, the Saudi side might have claimed a famous victory against the Spanish giants.

Meanwhile, Madrid were without star forward Kylian Mbappe, making their attack lack a bite at times, though Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo showed flashes of their quality.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was playing his first match since joining from Liverpool and had a composed outing before being subbed off after 65 minutes. Another new signing, Dean Huijsen, also featured, but Real’s backline looked shaky throughout.

What’s next?

Real Madrid will next face Mexican club Pachuca on Sunday in Charlotte while Al-Hilal take on Austria’s RB Salzburg the same day in Washington, D.C. Both teams will be eyeing three points to strengthen their hopes of progressing in Group H.