Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal player ratings: Club World Cup score, grades, stats as Trent Alexander-Arnold enjoys mixed debut, Vinicius struggles badly

Joe Wright

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Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal player ratings: Club World Cup score, grades, stats as Trent Alexander-Arnold enjoys mixed debut, Vinicius struggles badly image

Real Madrid and Al Hilal played out an engaging 1-1 draw on Wednesday to begin their FIFA Club World Cup campaigns.

Xabi Alonso and Simone Inzaghi took charge of their respective new teams for the first time in this Group H fixture, in which new Madrid signings Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen made their debuts from the start.

Al Hilal, one of the strongest sides in the lucrative Saudi Pro League, were the better team in the opening exchanges at Hard Rock Stadium, which was largely packed out with Miami-based Madrid fans. They were punished for failing to take their chances, though, when Gonzalo Garcia — starting in place of the ill Kylian Mbappe — converted a scruffy finish from Rodrygo's pass.

Inzaghi's side deservedly drew level before the break, Ruben Neves scoring a composed penalty after Raul Asencio lost the ball to Marcos Leonardo before grabbing him around the waist.

The pace of the contest slowed in the second half as the heat and humidity of Florida took its toll, although Gonzalo Garcia missed a great chance with a header that he sent straight at Yassine Bono and Arda Guler went close.

In the dying moments, Madrid were gifted an opportunity to win it after a VAR review saw Mohammed Al Qahtani penalised for a raised arm on Fran Garcia. Federico Valverde saw his spot-kick saved by Bono, and Al Hilal celebrated a famous and deserved result.

Goals and highlights | Player ratings | Match stats

Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal score

 FulltimeGoal-scorers
Real Madrid1G. Garcia 34'
Al Hilal1Neves (p), 41'

Venue: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Fl.
Referee: Facundo Tello (Argentina)

Starting lineups:

Real Madrid (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Thibaut Courtois (GK) — 12. Trent Alexander-Arnold (17. Lucas Vazquez), 35. Raul Asencio (15. Arda Guler), 24. Dean Huijsen, 20. Fran Garcia — 8. Federico Valverde, 14. Aurelien Tchouameni, 5. Jude Bellingham (10. Luka Modric) — 11. Rodrygo (21. Brahim Diaz), 30. Gonzalo Garcia, 7. Vinicius Junior

Al Hilal (4-2-3-1, right to left): 37. Yassine Bono (GK) — 20. Joao Cancelo (88. Hamad Al Yami), 87. Hassan Altambakti, 3. Kalidou Koulibaly, 6. Renan Lodi (24. Moteb Al Harbi) — 8. Ruben Neves, 16. Nasser Al Dawsari (28. Mohamed Kano) — 77. Malcom (15. Mohammed Al Qahtani), 22. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, 29. Salem Aldawsari — 11. Marcos Leonardo (18. Musab Fahd Aljuwayr)

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Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal player ratings

Real Madrid starters

Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois — 7

Made a good early save from Milinkovic-Savic. Went the wrong way for the penalty. Practically untroubled in the second half despite Al Hilal looking a threat.

Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold — 6

Defended well one-versus-one when Salem Aldawsari threatened but had to thank Asencio for covering when he was out of position. Little creativity on the ball in the first half but was much more proactive in the second before being substituted. Solid if unspectacular for a debut.

Centre-back: Raul Asencio — 4

Lost the ball to Marcos Leonardo before grappling him from behind to concede the penalty. Taken off at halftime for Arda Guler as Alonso moved Tchouameni to centre-back.

Centre-back: Dean Huijsen — 6

Didn't do too much wrong in the first half, but the Madrid defence was generally all over the place. The backline was more comfortable in the second, although Huijsen gifted Marcos Leonardo a chance with a casual pass. Did some good work going forward, and his cross in the dying moments nearly set up Garcia for a second.

Left-back: Fran Garcia — 7

Dealt okay with the threat of Joao Cancelo and Malcom, both of whom came off after the hour mark. The best of Madrid's defenders on the day.

Midfielder: Federico Valverde — 4

Conceded a free-kick right on the edge of the box in the opening two minutes. Mostly ineffective with the ball. Fired a low shot from a good position straight at Bono. Had the chance to win it, but his penalty was too close to the keeper.

Midfielder: Aurelien Tchouameni — 6

In there to screen the defence in the first half but didn't do a great job. Moved to centre-back for the second and was more composed.

Midfielder: Jude Bellingham — 5

A passenger throughout the first half. Showed a bit more fight in the second, but he looked laboured on the ball.

Right winger: Rodrygo — 6

Little attacking thrust until he played a perfectly weighted pass to set up the opening goal. Replaced by Brahim Diaz after minimal impact after the break.

Striker: Gonzalo Garcia — 7

Mishit his finish but deserved the goal for the timing of his run into the box. More good movement led to another chance that was smothered by the keeper. Should have done better with a point-blank header early in the second, but was a persistent threat in the air.

Left winger: Vinicius Junior — 4

In Cancelo's pocket for much of the first hour. Booked for diving early on and allowed his frustrations to get the better of him from then on. Despite having very little joy down the left, he should have had an assist for the cross to set up Garcia's header.

Real Madrid substitutes

Midfielder: Arda Guler — 6

On at halftime for Asencio as Alonso sought more ingenuity in midfield. The Turkey star looked bright enough without really influencing play.

Defender: Lucas Vazquez — 5

Replaced Alexander-Arnold after an hour. Careless play on the ball could easily have led to a second Al Hilal goal had Marcos Leonardo remembered his shooting boots.

Right forward: Brahim Diaz — 6

Came on for Rodrygo but failed to offer an upgrade on the Brazilian's efforts, although he was probably the busiest of Madrid's attacking players.

Left forward: Victor Munoz — 6

Got a 10-minute run-out in place of Vinicius. Didn't really provide a threat.

Midfielder: Luka Modric — 6

On for Bellingham for the closing stages and got a rapturous reception from the fans in Miami. Made two crucial interceptions in his own half to deny Al Hilal in promising counter-attacks.

Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal stats

Real MadridStatAl Hilal
19Shots13
7Shots on target2
53%Possession47%
498Passes468
5Corners6
9Fouls10
1Yellow cards3
2Offsides2

Real Madrid vs. Al Hilal highlights: Goals, key events

90+1 mins: BONO SAVES IT! Valverde's attempt is well-struck but too close to the keeper, and he can't get to the rebound!

Watch:

46 mins: Madrid with two chances to score a second within a minute of the restart!

Watch:

41 mins: GOAL! RUBEN NEVES MAKES NO MISTAKE WITH THE PENALTY! The man who scored in the shootout of the recent UEFA Nations League final sends Courtois the wrong way.

Watch:

34 mins: GOAL! MADRID TAKE THE LEAD! A swift counter sees Rodrygo play a precise low ball across the box to Gonzalo Garcia. His finish is less exact — in fact, he kicked the ball off his standing foot — but it confuses Yassine Bono and ends up in the net.

Watch:

17 mins: Al Hilal score first but the goal is disallowed for offside against Renan Lodi. The Saudi side have been by far the more dangerous team in the early stages.

Watch:

MORE: Club World Cup 2025 match schedule and results: Groups, teams, dates and times for FIFA tournament in USA

Joe Wright

Joe Wright is a Senior Editor at Sporting News, overseeing global soccer and multisport. He was previously a sub editor and writer for Goal.com before spending six years as part of the Stats Perform news service, covering major global sports news, data analytics, features and video content. Joe has extensive experience covering some of the biggest events in football, including two UEFA Champions League finals, Euro 2016, the Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 World Cup, which included the final in Moscow.