Stars shine as Real Madrid wins Intercontinental Cup
A goal each to star attacking trio Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo propelled Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Mexican giant Pachuca in the final of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup.
It was a largely one-sided contest at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, with Madrid doing just enough and looking unlikely to cede control despite allowing its opponent to threaten occasionally from counter-attacks.
The UEFA Champions League winner opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a fine team goal. Jude Bellingham picked out Vinicius, who pulled it back from the byline, and Mbappe stretched a leg behind him to fire it into the empty net.
Rodrygo extended the lead with a lovely effort in the 53rd minute when he beat two defenders before cutting back inside and curling a fine strike into the top corner with his right foot.
Vinicius then wrapped up an easy win for Los Blancos from the penalty spot in the 84th minute after Oussama Idrissi clumsily fouled captain Lucas Vazquez inside the box.
Madrid won three trophies in the original Intercontinental Cup, the predecessor to the current format that pits the European and South American champions against each other, and five FIFA Club World Cups, for a combined total of nine global titles.
Despite a slightly shaky start, Madrid soon found its rhythm in Doha, with Mbappe making an impact on his return from injury after being handed a starting place.
The Frenchman has now scored eight goals in his last seven finals between club and country in all competitions and four in the two at Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
He is also the third player to score in each of his first two finals for Madrid across all competitions, having also netted in the UEFA Super Cup, in the past 10 years, after Gareth Bale in 2014 and Marco Asensio in 2017.
Meanwhile, Rodrygo's strike was his fourth in five finals for Madrid in all competitions, having failed to score in any of the previous six before that.
Vinicius, rounding off an impressive 24 hours, having won the FIFA Best Men's Player award for 2024, has been involved in 13 goals in his 12 finals with Los Blancos – eight goals and five assists – having been involved in at least one goal in each of the past six –11, including seven goals and four assists.
