Trent Alexander-Arnold makes debut but Real Madrid can only muster draw in Club World Cup opener | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso took charge of Los Blancos for the first time

Real Madrid stuttered to a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal as Trent Alexander-Arnold made his debut in the famous white and gold.

Hilal, boasting some familiar faces like former Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo and ex-Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, had much the better of the early exchanges, as Simone Inzaghi’s side gunned for the 15-time Champions League winners, particularly looking to penetrate the wide areas with Alexander-Arnold looking to invert at every opportunity.

Inzaghi, who left defeated Champions League finalists Inter Milan to take over the Saudi Pro League outfit, would have been by far the happier manager at the interval, with his team unfortunate to be level at the interval.

Marcos Leonardo and Hassan Al-Tambakti went close, but they could not find that elusive opener.

That would prove costly, as Madrid’s individual quality finally told. Vinicius Junior picked up the ball in centre-field, and drove through the heart of Hilal, before looking for Valverde on his right.

Valverde just about managed to toe a pass wider towards Rodrygo, whose square was finished with aplomb by Garcia, who chipped over Bono with 34 minutes played.

Plenty to ponder: Xabi Alonso

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However, Hilal were level just six minutes later, as Raul Asencio was adjudged to have felled Leonardo in the box, and Ruben Neves made no mistake to equalise, sending Thibaut Courtois the wrong way.

Madrid looked inspired and much more purposeful in possession in the second half, with Arda Guler a bright spark when he stepped off the bench, showcasing his versatility as both a free eight and a right winger.

Alexander-Arnold was sacrificed just after the hour after a solid start to life at his new club, but he could only watch on from the sidelines as they stumbled towards the finish.

That was until they were handed a last-minute lifeline by VAR, with substitute Mohammed Al Qahtani thought to have hit Garcia in the face with a flailing arm.

It was a dubious decision, but justice was served when Bono produced a heroic save to keep out Federico Valverde and claim a precious point for Hilal.