DOHA: Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior both scored as Real Madrid cruised to a 3-0 victory over Mexican side Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday.

Real did just enough to win comfortably and never looked likely to cede control despite allowing the CONCACAF champions to threaten occasionally from counter-attacks at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar.

Mbappe opened the scoring in the 37th minute before Rodrygo doubled Real’s lead early in the second half. Vinicius sealed a comfortable win for the Spanish and European champions with a late penalty.

France striker Mbappe returned to the Madrid line-up in Doha after missing Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano due to a hamstring injury suffered in the Champions League win at Atalanta last week.

Mbappe swept in from close range to break the deadlock after brilliant play from Vinicius Junior, who won the

FIFA Best men’s player of the year award a day earlier after missing out on the Ballon d’Or.

Former West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United forward Salomon Rondon led the attack for CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca, but they never truly looked capable of an upset.

Rodrygo extended Real’s lead with a lovely effort in the 52nd minute when he beat two defenders before cutting back inside and curling a fine strike into the top corner with his right foot.

It was allowed to stand after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor even though Jude Bellingham was in an offside position and appeared to be interfering with the goalkeeper’s line of vision.

Vinicius wrapped up an easy win for Real from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute after Oussama Idrissi fouled captain Lucas Vazquez inside the box.

“We knew that after a long trip and playing just one game it’s hard. We struggled at the beginning, but we adapted well,” Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde told Spanish television channel Telecinco.

It is Real’s second title of the season following their UEFA Super Cup triumph over Atalanta in August, a welcome boost after what coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted had been a difficult period.

“In this part of the season I was a bit anxious because I didn’t like the team, honestly, but this will change in 2025 I’m sure,” said Ancelotti.

“It’s important for us to get to Christmas alive. If we think about the team after the defeat by Milan [in the Champions League on November 5], I think we’ve grown a lot and that gives us confidence for 2025.”

Ancelotti won his 15th trophy as Real coach, moving him past Miguel Munoz for the most in the club’s history.

“It’s a nice moment. It’s an honour for me. Madrid are the club that everybody wants to coach because they’re the best club in the world,” said Ancelotti. “It’s easier than winning them in other places because you have a great team and fanbase.”

This was the first edition of the FIFA-backed Intercontinental Cup, which broadly maintains the previous format of the Club World Cup and features the six continental champions.

The latter is being expanded to include 32 teams in 2025 and will now be played every four years. A past version of the Intercontinental Cup ran from 1960 to 2004 involving the champions of Europe and South America.

Real won that competition three times and then lifted the Club World Cup on a record five occasions.

They are to due to play Pachuca again at next year’s Club World Cup in the United States, as well as an Al Hilal team including Neymar, and Red Bull Salzburg.

Real host Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday in their final game of the year.

They will return to the Middle East in early January for the four-team Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024