Rabat- Spanish Club Real Madrid Defeated Egyptian club Al Ahly 4-1 to qualify for the final of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup.
Both teams delivered strong performances in the first half of the match. The Spanish club, however, took the lead at the end of the first half, with Vinicius Jr scoring the game’s first goal at the 42nd minute.
Federico Valverde doubled the lead for Real Madrid right at the start of the second half, making an Al Ahly comeback unlikely, or at least more difficult.
While the Spanish club dominated much of the tempo and created more scoring opportunities, their Egyptian opponents showed resilience and dug in to score a much-needed goal at the 65th minute through a penalty converted by Ali Maaloul.
But that ultimately proved insufficient to spark a comeback, with the usual late-minute Real Madrid rampage leading to goals by Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas in extra time.
Prior to their loss against the tournament’s favorite, Al Ahly claimed two impressive victories — beating New Zealand’s Auckland City 3-0 in the tournament’s first round on February 1, and defeating the American Club Seattle Sounders 1-0 on February 4.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are striving to clinch their eighth cup in the tournament.
The Spanish club has won the title of world champion 7 times, including four Club World Cups (2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018) and three Intercontinental Cups (1960, 1998, and 2002).
Real Madrid is set to face Saudi club Al Hilal on Saturday at 8:00 pm GMT+1 in Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
