Real Madrid Vs Al Hilal Saudi Football Match Score 12 February 2023
Real Madrid are already the most successful team in the history of this competition (four titles) and Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Federico Valverde were all on the scoresheet in their semifinal romp. As for Al-Hilal, the Saudi Arabian champs beat Brazilian giants Flamengo 3-2 in their semifinal as several stars from Saudi Arabia’s World Cup roster shone, with Salem Al-Dawsari scoring twice.
This is Al-Hilal’s first appearance in the Club World Cup final and they are the first team from Saudi Arabia to reach a final.
Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup to start the season and is attempting the difficult defense of its Champions League and Spanish league double from last season. Having surprisingly made it this far, Al-Hilal has already won before taking on Real Madrid in the final of the Club World Cup.
The club from Saudi Arabia stunned Brazil’s Flamengo in the semifinals and stands in the way of Madrid collecting a record-extending eighth title in the competition. If Al-Hilal does manage an even bigger upset in Morocco’s capital of Rabat on Saturday, it would be another testament to the growing power of soccer outside its traditional strongholds of Europe and South America.
“Football is changing,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “And you can see that by the fact that Al-Hilal is in the final.” Perhaps the only thing in Al-Hilal’s favor is that many of its players know what it is like to pull off the extremely improbable. The team coached by Argentine Ramón Díaz includes members of the Saudi Arabia national side which stunned Argentina in their World Cup opener in November.
Saudi Arabia’s scorers in that 2-1 win over Argentina, Salem Aldawsari and Saleh Alshehri, play for Al-Hilal. Aldawsari scored twice in Tangier on Tuesday to help secure a 3-2 win over Flamengo, the Copa Libertadores champion. Al-Hilal, which has won a record four Asian Champions League titles, also features Nigerian journeyman Odion Ighalo and former FC Porto striker Moussa Marega. “We will play one of the most important and beautiful matches in our history,” Al-Hilal goalkeeper Abdullah Al-Mayouf said. “We are physically and mentally ready to play the final against Europe’s champions.”
Just having a team in the final is another boost for Saudi Arabian soccer, after the country flexed its economic muscle to become a bigger global player in the sport. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund bought Newcastle in 2021, and its domestic league recently scored a huge win when Al-Nassr, a rival of Al-Hilal, convinced Cristiano Ronaldo it was time to continue his illustrious career outside Europe.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal on Saturday and have the opportunity to win their first trophy of the season. The Spanish side reached the final of the Men’s World Cup after beating Al Ahly 4-1 in the
