Real Madrid will end the year on top of the world after comfortably beating Pachuca to win the Intercontinental Cup.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior secured their second title of the season and their first in the competition’s new format, which pits the club champions of FIFA’s six federations against each other.
Advert
Real Madrid, who host Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday, will close 2024 with five titles out of six imaginable. “We will fight to continue winning,” said president Florentino Pérez.
But in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Pachuca at Lusail Stadium in Qatar the main protagonists were on the pitch or, in Carlo Ancelotti’s case, on the bench.
Just 24 hours after being named the 2024 FIFA Best Awards’ Men’s Player of the Year, Vinicius Jr showed why he is the most productive player in the world.
He was fouled the first time the ball was returned to him, a sign that Pachuca knew they would have to constantly make efforts to prevent it, but until the 37th minute it was too late, as is the case when Vinicius Jr feels inspired.
Jude Bellingham joined him in the box, where the Brazilian, more Brazilian than ever, executed a pass to dribble past the goalkeeper, and then, instead of looking to score, Vinicius Jr “gifted” the first goal to Mbappé, cutting the ball off. for his teammate to shoot into an empty goal.
“I don’t know if I can shoot or not, but there’s Kylian alone. . . ,” he later explained.
For the first goal in the first match and first final of the season — to Federico Valverde in the European Super Cup in August — Vinicius Jr again provided the key pass to open the scoring.
But he looked for more and, apart from some very good flashes, like when he joined Bellingham in the second half, he gave it to them with his goal.
It was from the penalty spot, that Vinicius Jr has yet to fail in a Real Madrid shirt (he has scored seven in official matches), although the penalty shootout was not even considered his specialty when former client Karim Benzema left in 2023. .
By scoring to round off the 3-0 victory against Pachuca, he also added to an impressive statistic: Vinicius Jr has been involved in 14 goals in 12 finals with Real Madrid.
Since joining the club in 2018, Vinicius Jr has won 14 titles with Real Madrid, more than rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid combined in the same period.
A return to Lusail Stadium two years after what many consider to be the greatest World Cup final. On December 18, 2022, Argentina became world champions by winning a penalty shootout after a 3-3 draw with France, with a heroic Mbappe scoring a hat-trick for the losing side.
Wednesday’s Mbappé is not the Mbappé of two years ago, but his functionality is enough to help the 25-year-old return home with his middle name as a Madrid player.
Advertisement
As in the European Super Cup, he scored in Qatar, bringing his tally in his last seven finals for club and country to 8.
Mbappé opened the scoring, assisted through Vinicius Jr. After pushing the ball into the net, he turned to the Brazilian to thank him and then did the same with Bellingham, who played a key role in this Array operation.
Bellingham gestured to Mbappe during the game, encouraging him to press more. But after missing the Rayo Vallecano match due to injury, Mbappe scored for his third consecutive game. The club had planned for his return in 10 days and even questioned him travelling to Qatar, but sources at Valdebebas, speaking anonymously to protect relationships, quickly downplayed the seriousness of the problem in talks with The Athletic.
It was a game he wanted to be involved in and in his 61 minutes on the pitch, Mbappé first scored and then set up Rodrygo with his stunning shot from the edge of the area.
With the game against Sevilla just around the corner, Mbappé faces the end of the year with thirteen goals and two assists in 23 games for Real Madrid. These numbers are below expectations but, as he returns to his level, he will complete his collective record with the two trophies.
Like Vinicius Jr, just 24 hours after being named the best in the world, Ancelotti lived up to his status.
This Intercontinental Cup is his 15th title with Real Madrid, surpassing managerial legend Miguel Munoz’s tally of 14. Ancelotti averages a trophy every 21 games.
And it all started again by chance, as he recalled in the press room when asked if he expected to achieve such luck when he took over the club for the second time in June 2021.
“I didn’t believe it because in the days before I never thought I would be able to come back,” he said. “I called (Real Madrid) just to see if I could locate a signing (for Everton). I threw it in and they fell in love (laughs).
So the noise that has surrounded – more externally than internally – Ancelotti’s long career in recent months has calmed down, at least for a moment.
The locker room is also with him.
“Congratulations; he deserves it,” Vinicius Jr said after Wednesday’s victory. “He gives us freedom, he makes everything perfect for us,” added Lucas Vazquez, Real Madrid’s captain in Qatar.
(Top photo: Mohamed Farag – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)