Another final won by Real Madrid this year. The merengues prevailed without much effort to the CONCACAF Champion Pachuca in the first edition of the reformulated Intercontinental Cup in Lusail, Qatar. Even playing a discreet match was enough to win the Mexican team, which despite winning the continental cup, was antepenultimate in its domestic league last season.
Although it is considered the first edition of the new Intercontinental Cup, taking all previous Intercontinental Cups from 1960 to 2004 as well as its replacement, the FIFA Club World Cup, this is the ninth "world champion" title Real Madrid wins, and makes Ancelotti the most decorated coach in the club history.
It is the fourth final Real Madrid plays and wins in 2024, after the Spanish Supercup, the Champions League and the European Supercup. It is also the second out of the seven titles Real Madrid can win this season, with the third one being the Spanish Supercup in January. Obviously, the other ones will be much harder to get...
Vini Jr. got the MVP of the tournament but only played one match
Vinícius Jr., who the day before was awarded The Best trophy, was awarded the Golden Ball, Final MVP and Tournament MVP, despite Real Madrid only playing one match: in this new version of the Intercontinental Cup that pits the winners of all six FIFA confederations, the UEFA Champions League winner gets direct qualification to the final.
Vini Jr. assisted the first goal, scored by Kylian Mbappé. The French player returned to the Lusail Stadium exactly two years after the World Cup final where he scroed a hat-trick... but lost to Messi's Argentina.
The second one was an incredible shot by Rodrygo. Vini got his own goal by penalty, after several attempts. It is the first time the main Real Madrid "trident" score at the same match: Vini, Mbappé and Rodrygo are Real Madrid's headline attackers -Bellingham is a midfielder-.