Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, and Rodrygo found the net as Europe’s most successful club, Real Madrid, capped off a triumphant year with yet another trophy.
Adding to their already overflowing trophy cabinet, Real Madrid claimed the inaugural FIFA Intercontinental Cup in its new format, ending their stellar year with another piece of silverware.
In the final at Qatar’s Lusail Stadium on Wednesday night, Carlo Ancelotti’s men defeated Mexico’s Pachuca FC 3-0 in dominant fashion.
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the first half, Rodrygo doubled the lead in the second, and Vinícius Júnior sealed the win with a third late in the match.
This victory marks Real Madrid’s fifth trophy of the year, having already won the Champions League, La Liga, UEFA Super Cup, and Spanish Super Cup earlier in 2024.
The Intercontinental Cup, replacing the FIFA Club World Cup, brings together the best clubs from six continents in a revamped format. Real Madrid, as European champions, secured a direct spot in the final.
Pachuca started positively and had the first big chance in the 7th minute when Luis Rodríguez unleashed a long-range strike, but Thibaut Courtois made a diving save to concede a corner.
The match came alive with end-to-end action, and in the 37th minute, Real Madrid took the lead. Mbappé’s goal was set up brilliantly by Vinícius Júnior, who had just won FIFA’s Player of the Year award the day before.
Using his pace, Vinícius left defenders behind, dribbled past the goalkeeper near the byline, and cut back the ball perfectly for Mbappé. The unmarked Frenchman, almost lying down, tapped it in with precision. It was Real’s first shot on target.
In the 53rd minute, Rodrygo made it 2-0. Receiving the ball from Mbappé, the Brazilian forward dazzled with footwork, evading Pachuca defenders before curling a shot from the edge of the box into the net. After multiple VAR reviews, the referee confirmed the goal.
There was a moment of concern when Jude Bellingham, positioned in front of the goalkeeper during Rodrygo’s strike, could have been deemed obstructive. However, the English midfielder smartly sat down to avoid interfering, ensuring the goal stood.
Pachuca came close to pulling one back in the 71st minute when Salomón Rondón narrowly missed the target with a header. Three minutes later, Pachuca’s goalkeeper denied Vinícius with a fine save, tipping his shot over for a corner.
In the 84th minute, Vinícius added Real’s third with a composed penalty. The spot-kick was awarded after VAR confirmed a foul on Lucas Vázquez by Pachuca’s Oussama Idrissi.
During added time, Pachuca’s Ángel Mena headed the ball into Real’s net, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
With this dominant performance, Real Madrid not only lifted the inaugural Intercontinental Cup but also reaffirmed their status as the kings of European and world football.
