FIFA Club World Cup: Late Bounou save denies Real Madrid win over Al Hilal

ANI June 19, 2025 324 views

Al Hilal fought back against Real Madrid with Ruben Neves' penalty equalizing Gonzalo Garcia's opener. Yassine Bounou became the hero with a stunning late penalty save to deny Federico Valverde. Xabi Alonso admitted frustration over Real Madrid's shaky first-half performance despite improvement after the break. The 1-1 draw leaves both teams with work to do in the tournament.

"Thank God for the penalty save—as a goalkeeper, you have to do your job on the pitch." – Yassine Bounou
Miami, 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.

Key Points

1

Rodrygo assists Garcia for Real Madrid's opener

2

Neves converts penalty to equalize for Al Hilal

3

Bounou's heroic late save denies Valverde

4

Xabi Alonso criticizes first-half performance

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.

Reader Comments

Here are 5 diverse Indian perspective comments for the article:
R
Rahul K.
What an exciting match! Bounou's penalty save was world-class 👏. Shows how competitive Asian football has become. As an Indian football fan, I hope our ISL clubs can reach this level someday. The Saudi league is really making waves globally.
P
Priya M.
Real Madrid looked rusty today. Their defense was shaky and midfield lacked creativity. Maybe they underestimated Al Hilal? Asian clubs are no longer pushovers - this should be a wake-up call for European giants. Hope Indian football takes notes!
A
Amit S.
As a neutral fan, this was a proper entertaining match! Both teams had their moments. That Arda Guler kid looks special for Real - hitting the crossbar so soon after coming on. But Bounou was the real star of the show with that crucial save.
S
Sunita R.
The match was good but the refereeing was questionable at times. That penalty decision for Al Hilal looked soft to me. Still, credit to the Saudi team for fighting hard. Wish we had more Indian players at this level of competition. Our football needs more investment!
V
Vikram J.
Xabi Alonso needs to sort out Real's midfield balance. Too many misplaced passes in first half. But Al Hilal's performance gives hope to Asian football fans everywhere. Maybe next time we'll see an Indian club in Club World Cup? One can dream! 🤞

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Tags:
FIFA Club World Cup Real Madrid Al Hilal Yassine Bounou Xabi Alonso Rodrygo Ruben Neves