Real Madrid beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-0 on Wednesday to win the first FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
It was the first half at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, where the 2022 World Cup final took place, but Madrid they took the lead in the 37th minute with their first major opportunity.
A superb team goal saw the reigning European champions take control of the final, with Vinicius Junior eventually rounding the Pachuca keeper before providing Kylian Mbappe with connection.
Madrid needed just eight minutes to double their advantage after the restart and put one hand on the trophy. Rodrygo was the man to provide the breathing space, faking a left-footed shot on the edge of the box before curling a superb right-footed finish into the bottom corner.
CONCACAF champions Pachuca tried to close the gap in the closing stages as they stepped up their intensity, but Madrid added a third in the 84th minute to completely kill any faint hopes of a grand finale. Lucas Vazquez was brought down in the penalty area and Vinicius he just missed the next spot-kick to secure the Intercontinental Cup for Los Blancos.
*Player ratings provided by FotMob*
Player | Ratings |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 8.1/10 |
RB: Lucas Vazquez | 7.3/10 |
CB: Aurelien Tchouameni | 7.0/10 |
CB: Antonio Rudiger | 7.1/10 |
LB: Francis Garcia | 7.9/10 |
CM: Federico Valverde | 8.0/10 |
CM: Edward Camavinga | 7.9/10 |
RW: Rodrygo | 8.4/10 |
AM: Jude Bellingham | 7.9/10 |
LW: Vinicius Junior | 8.9/10 |
ST: Kylian Mbappe | 8.7/10 |
SAT: Brahim Diaz (62' for Mbappe) | 6.6/10 |
SAT: Dani Ceballos (62' for Camaving) | 6.5/10 |
SAT: Luka Modric (70' for Rodrygo) | 6.1/10 |
SAT: Raul Asencio (88' for Vazquez) | N/A |
SAT: Arda Guler (88' for Bellingham) | N/A |
Unused substitutes: Andrew Lunin (GK), Fran Gonzalez (GK), Jesus Vallejo, Lorenzo Aguado, Youssef Enriquez, Endrick.
Player of the match - Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
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