Miami [US], June 19 : A fine late penalty save from Yassine Bounou helped Saudi giants Al Hilal deny Real Madrid a win as their FIFA Club World Cup campaign opener ended in a 1-1 stalemate at Miami on Thursday night.
Al Hilal tried to dominate their opponents right from the start, and a goal by Renan Lodi was ruled out for offside.
Nevertheless, it was the multi-time La Liga and UEFA Champions League champions who broke the stalemate, as Rodrygo crossed low for Gonzalo Garcia, who easily scored in the 34th minute.
The Saudi giants were swift in fighting back after Raul Asenscio pulled down Marcos Leonardo in the box, they were given a penalty, and Ruben Neves levelled the scoreline by deceiving Thibaut Courtois in the 41st minute.
Arda Guler was introduced by Xabi Alonso in the second half, and the 20-year-old wasted no time in rattling the crossbar. At the end of the second half, Real Madrid was denied their chance at securing full points as after a foul committed by Mohammed Alqahtani, Federico Valverde's spot-kick was stopped remarkably by Bounou, who flung himself south-east to stop the ball.
After the match, as quoted by FIFA's official website, Garcia said, "It is a bittersweet feeling. We wanted the win, we wanted to start with a good result. We fought until the end, but the opponent played a great game. I am sure the point we get today will be important in the upcoming matches."
The Real Madrid goalie Courtois also acknowledged his team's struggles to find their rhythm and speed in their first half.
"I think we played better in the second half, and I believe that if we continue on the same path, we will win some matches," he added.
Bounou, a match-saving hero for Al Hilal, said that one needs to have full focus against Real Madrid, terming them a "difficult team with great players".
"It was not an easy match. The opponent is strong, has top-class players, and plays at a very high level. They were tough in the second half, but we knew how to defend our goal. Thank God for the penalty save as a goalkeeper, you have to do your job on the pitch," he added.
Xabi, Real Madrid coach, opened up on his "mixed bag of feelings" after the match.
"It is a pity we were not able to get the win. I did not really enjoy our performance in the first half, to be honest. We played better in the second. We were more balanced and handled the ball better. I will take that with me. We tried to play very fast in the first half and lost the ball a lot. In the second half we played better, we managed to subdue the opponent, but we lacked the goal to win. Missing a penalty is something that can happen, and that is it," he added.
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