Real Madrid Held to 1-1 Draw in FIFA Club World Cup 2025 by Al-Hilal After Yassine Bounou Saves Late Penalty

Real Madrid were denied a late FIFA Club World Cup 2025 win over Al Hilal after Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved a penalty from Fede Valverde and had to settle for a 1-1 draw to start their tournament at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Wednesday (June 18). 

Ruben Neves himself converted a penalty in the 41st minute to cancel out an opener from Gonzalo Garcia, but that effort could have been for nothing were it not for Bounou's heroics just before the full-time whistle. 

Madrid also had a corner effort blocked off by Kalidou Koulibaly but in the end the points were shared. 

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Two New Players Debut For Real

This match saw two new players signed in the summer by Real make their debut - Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen. It was also the managerial debut for Xabi Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti. 

Trent slotted in at his right-back position and Huijsen fit in at his centre-back role and there were signs that the new players will need to get on the same wavelength as their teammates. 

Nevertheless, Trent hailed the game as an amazing experience and said he was happy with how things went. 

"The support is incredible, so a huge thank you for that. Of course, we dominated the stands today as well, which was incredible. The support is truly amazing," he said after the match.

It is also worth noting that Al Hilal were arguably the toughest game that Madrid had to play in their group and to escape with a point is still a good result for Los Blancos. 

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What Next For Real Madrid? 

Real Madrid have two more teams to face in the group stages - Pachuca and RB Salzburg. Their next game is against Pachuca, which takes place on Sunday (June 22). 

Their group stage comes to an end when they face Salzburg on Thursday (June 26). As things stand, it is Salzburg who are on top of the group after beating Pachuca.