Real Madrid’s Club World Cup campaign began with frustration as Federico Valverde saw a stoppage-time penalty saved, denying Los Blancos a winning start in a 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal in Miami.
All eyes were on debutant Trent Alexander-Arnold and new manager Xabi Alonso, but it was goalkeeper Yassine Bounou who stole the spotlight, diving low to keep out Valverde’s last-gasp spot-kick after VAR penalised Mohammed Al-Qahtani for catching Fran Garcia with a flailing arm.
Earlier, 21-year-old striker Gonzalo Garcia had given Madrid the lead against the run of play, finishing off a swift counter-attack with a delicate chip over Bounou.
But Al-Hilal, under new boss Simone Inzaghi, were the more dominant side for much of the first half and deservedly equalised before the break. Former Wolves man Ruben Neves coolly converted from the spot after Raul Asencio pulled back Marcos Leonardo in the box.
Madrid improved after the restart, with Arda Guler rattling the bar and Bounou producing a stunning save to deny Garcia’s header.
Yet the European champions, without the injured Kylian Mbappe, looked shaky defensively despite debut starts for Alexander-Arnold and £50m centre-back Dean Huijsen.
Al-Hilal, missing key striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, could have snatched a famous win had Leonardo taken one of two golden second-half chances.
Still, Inzaghi; fresh off a controversial exit from Inter Milan will take heart from a confident display against elite opposition.
Madrid escape with a point, but questions linger for Alonso after a patchy debut at the helm.
