On the eve of Wednesday's Fifa Club World Cup tie between Al Hilal and Real Madrid, amid the Art Deco diners that line Miami’s South Beach reminiscent of something out of Back to the Future, two men sat debating football in front of a baby blue Cadillac.
Both dressed in Al Hilal shirts, both having arrived from Riyadh the previous evening, the pair couldn’t agree on their side’s hopes of toppling the European behemoth that is Real Madrid. One gave his side a “less than zero” chance of victory, while the other clung to the idea that “nothing is impossible”. Yet they agreed on one thing: The result was immaterial, they were here for a week of fun. And they were not alone.
Al Hilal took over South Beach ahead of the match, which proved an enjoyable 1-1 draw as the perceived impossible was almost realised by an impressive Saudi side that at times completely dominated their illustrious Spanish opponents in the blistering 32ºC heat. Hookah cafes, Hilal tops, and an expansive fan fest that proved so popular prizes ran dry. So too did the nearby sportswear store, which stuck a sign up in its window: “Al Hilal Sold Out Sorry :)”.
Yet inside the Hard Rock Stadium, it was a different story. Fifa is well aware of the biggest draw of its new 32-team Club World Cup. During the opening ceremony earlier this week, its camera lingered uncomfortably on only one club crest: That of the 15-time European champions. And, despite the local organising committee's army of volunteers clad in Hilal-style blue, the stadium was a white hot sea of Madrid shirts.
Unsurprising given the temperature, regrettable 3pm kick-off time, and lack of a flux capacitor, there was to be no throwback to the 2022 Club World Cup final when Madrid beat Hilal 5-3. Yet at times this was as much a Madrid performance as we have grown to expect in recent years – riding their luck for large periods, before finding a goal against the run of play. In the end, perhaps the only surprise was they failed to capitalise on a penalty to snare all three points.
With new Madrid coach Xabi Alonso handing debuts to both Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right-side of defence, the new-look back-line had appeared shaky. Hilal, also marking their first match under a new coach in Simone Inzaghi, came close to scoring early on through Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Marcos Leonardo, before left-back Renan Lodi slid the ball past Thibaut Courtois only to see it ruled offside.
“We got to see the true level of our team today,” Lodi said. “We were playing against a club that has dominated Europe, won Champions Leagues, but we held our own. For this, I am very happy. Soon, I’ll have been at Hilal for two years and I think everyone is seeing now that we too can play great football. Madrid is a team of the highest level, but we showed the power and potential of Saudi Arabian football.”
Watched on by Grammy Award-winning Palestinian-American record producer DJ Khaled, Hilal indeed looked perfectly at home, dominating possession for large spells. Yet the old habits of Madrid are not yet ready to fade like a family photograph, and it was the Spanish side who typically took the lead against the run of play. Rodrygo picked out Gonzalo Garcia, whose first-time finish struck his own planted foot and floated over goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. Hard luck in the Hard Rock for the ever-popular “Bono”.
Unperturbed, Hilal continued to plug away. Captain Salem Al Dawsari proving a constant threat on the left. The 2021 AFC Asian League winners levelled the tie just before half time when Raul Asencio was judged to manhandle Leonardo in the box and Ruben Neves made no mistake from the spot. They could have added a second soon after too through Al Dawsari, but his well-worked shot took a deflection and curled wide.
Madrid grew into the game, with Vinicius Jr exploiting the space behind Joao Cancelo before Inzaghi made a switch – though not before substitute Arda Guler and Gonzalo Garcia both tested Bono.
“There are some positives to take from the match, especially in the second half,” said Alexander-Arnold. “The coach told us at half time we needed to dominate the ball more. In these games, especially in this heat, you need to dominate the ball otherwise you are chasing shadows.”
Hilal managed only two shots in the second half but they were well deserving of a point. It appeared a cruel twist then when Argentine referee Facundo Tello, after an on-field review, awarded a penalty for Mohammed Al Qahtani’s clumsy arm connecting with the mouth of Fran Garcia.
Bono came to the rescue, throwing himself down to save both Federico Valverde’s penalty and what could be a crucial point in the quest to progress to the knock-out stages.
“This was a great test for us,” said Joao Cancelo. “We were able to compete against one of the best teams in the world, but it’s very difficult. To play against Rodrygo, [Jude] Bellingham, [Luka] Modric, Valverde … We competed well and can be proud.”
