The result was misleading, but what does Real Madrid care if they will play in the Club World Cup final again?
The
4-1
final that marked the electronic board of the Moulay Abdellah stadium in the Moroccan city of Rabat did not reflect the difficulties that the 'Merengue' had to get rid of
Al Ahly from Egypt
, African runner-up, and get into the title match next Saturday against Al Hilal, from Saudi Arabia, led by
Ramón Díaz
.
In a very balanced first half, the 'Merengue' took the lead thanks to a beautiful definition by
Vinicius Junior
, who 'stung' the ball in front of the rival goalkeeper after a rude defensive error by the Egyptian team.
Tranquility for the Spaniards seemed to come at the start of the second stage: the Uruguayan
Fede Valverde
, who in the previous one had confessed a drop in performance due to feeling affected by what happened in the World Cup in Qatar, captured a rebound inside the area and put the second goal.
Everything was rosy for Real Madrid, until Camavinga stepped on Hussein El Shahat when he hooked him inside the area and left the Uruguayan referee Andrés Matonte no choice, who awarded a penalty.
The defender
Ali Maâloul
did not fail and added suspense and uncertainty to the outcome of the match in Morocco.
With the close background of Al Hilal from La Rioja Díaz, anything was possible.
Even more so when with three minutes to go, the Madrid club had a penalty awarded, at the request of the VAR, but the Croatian
Luka Modric
failed in the definition with the save of the Egyptian goalkeeper
Mohamed El Shenawy
on the left post.
When the end was approaching with anger from
Rodrygo
for forgiven chances, the Brazilian teamed up with Dani Ceballos in a magical play that ended with the Andalusian's cue assist and the goal of peace of mind.
He was not the last,
Arribas
showed in seconds that he deserves more than Carlo Ancelotti.
He scored his debut goalscorer in an official match with the first team with his left foot to turn the victory into a rout.
In this way, Real Madrid will face the winner of the Asian Champions League next Saturday, whose coach is the former River Plate coach and the Argentine striker Luciano Vietto among its ranks, to define the Club World Cup champion.
Al-Hilal eliminated Casablanca, from Morocco, on penalties in the first phase and in the semifinals they surprised with a 3-2 victory against the powerful Flamengo, from Brazil.
The Spanish team is the top winner of the Club World Cup with four titles (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018), while those led by Ramón Díaz will play their first final.
