June 19, 2025 - Xabi Alonso’s start as Real Madrid coach was not as expected. Real Madrid played a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in their first match of the Club World Cup at the Hard Rock Stadium in the United States last night.

Madrid had a chance to win the match, but Federico Valverde missed a penalty, and Alonso’s team had to settle for a draw. Real Madrid played without Kylian Mbappe, who missed the match owing to fever. The Spanish giants faced a tough challenge against Al-Hilal. After the match, coach Alonso said, “Some things have to be fixed.” However, not being able to secure a win will surely be disappointing for him.

Real's Second Failure Against Asian Opponent

According to football data-based X-handle MrChip, this was only the second time in Real Madrid’s history that they failed to beat an Asian club in 90 minutes in a competitive match. The previous occasion was in the 2016 Club World Cup final, where they defeated Japan’s Kashima Antlers in extra time.

New Coach's First Match Disappointing

Real Madrid began training under new coach Xabi Alonso on June 9. Soon after, they traveled to the United States for the Club World Cup. However, Alonso’s first match in charge ended in a 1-1 draw.

On the other hand, it was also the first match for Simone Inzaghi as Al Hilal’s head coach, and he started on a positive note by holding the 15-time European champions to a draw.

Inzaghi Happy With Team’s Performance

After the match, Inzaghi expressed his satisfaction: “It was a great match for my team. They played very well. We played as a team. We all fought together against Real Madrid. I consider this team one of the three best teams in the world. I am very satisfied.”

Al Hilal Looked Dangerous Early On

Al Hilal started the match aggressively. In the 19th minute, Marcos Leonardo’s shot went just wide after a volley from Salem Al-Dawsari. Shortly after, Renan Lodi scored a goal, but it was ruled out for offside. Al-Dawsari also made some solo runs into the box, with one shot narrowly missing the post.

Garcia Scores for Real

Real Madrid scored the opening goal in the 34th minute. Gonzalo Garcia, who replaced the ill Kylian Mbappe in the starting lineup, finished a counter-attack after combining well with Rodrygo.

But Al Hilal equalised just four minutes before halftime. Real defender Raul Asensio fouled Marcos Leonardo inside the box, and Portuguese star Ruben Neves converted the penalty.

Valverde Misses Late Penalty 

In the second half, Real Madrid played much better and created several chances. They almost won the match in the 87th minute when they were awarded a penalty. However, Federico Valverde’s spot-kick was saved brilliantly by Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Alonso Reflects on Match and Preparation

After the match, Xabi Alonso said: “We played much better in the second half than in the first. We lacked a lot in the first half and lost our balance. But I liked how we came back into the game. We changed the rhythm, took control, and played more in the opponent's half.”

Alonso also talked about the team’s short preparation time. He said, “I knew it would take time. We had to change some things. We’ll try to fix them. Everything needs time. We only had nine days, and some players had just three training sessions.”