Real Madrid Vs Al Hilal Saudi Premier League Football Match Score 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 semifinal while the Saudi Arabian team surprisingly won 3-2 against Flamengo. The two teams will meet on Saturday at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah in Rabat, Morocco. Here’s what you need to know:
CBS Sports has the daily soccer podcast for you, covering everything you need to know about the beautiful game. Make sure to give House of Champions a follow for coverage of the biggest games, stories, transfer news with Fabrizio Romano, and everything else going on in the world’s most popular sport.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti spoke about their opponents that managed to beat Flamengo in the semifinal: “Football’s changing because there’re a lot of teams all over the world that can compete, fight and win too. I was surprised that Flamengo were eliminated, but they’re in pre-season and their fitness level isn’t at its peak and the rest of the teams, who are in the middle of the season, are at their peak.”
After beating Moroccan side Wydad AC 5-3 on penalties in the second round, Al-Hilal became the first Saudi Arabian side to reach the Club World Cup final. Al-Hilal, 18-time Saudi Pro League champions and rivals of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, are competing at the Club World Cup for the third time and qualified for this year’s tournament as the holders of the AFC Champions League. Considering their current struggles in La Liga, where they’ve dropped five points in their last three matches, Real Madrid can’t miss the opportunity to win this trophy. Pick: Real Madrid 3, Al-Hilal 1.
While Anthony Hudson is the interim coach for the United States men’s national team, the search for a head coach is still open and things have gotten interesting with the ever-popular Jesse Marsch now available. Arguably one of the most decorated American coaches in Europe along with Pellegrino Matarazzo, Marsch’s availability is one to keep an eye on. Matarazzo seems out of the running now that he just signed to manage Hoffenheim, but there is a need to move somewhat quickly now that Mexico have their coach in Diego Cocca, but who all should be under consideration? Let’s take a look.
After being sacked at Leeds United, Marsch has likely become the top available American manager but if U.S. Soccer decided to go with him, there could be warning signs. Leeds United put in arguably their best defensive performance as a team after letting Marsch go, not winning since November. While some of that was due to Weston McKennie’s first Premier League start alongside Tyler Adams, the team playing their most coordinated press without Marsch isn’t great and doesn’t speak much to what he did there.
Marsch’s system also is tough to pick up on the international stage and could cause issues for players who aren’t together on a week-to-week basis, but also with the core of the USMNT midfield at the club, there are fewer concerns about players not knowing how to work together. Marsch’s star has fallen after consecutive sackings at RB Leipzig and Leeds but he’s still one of the top American managers on the market, it’s just tough to say that he’s the best choice for the job right now.
