Real Madrid secured the first-ever FIFA Intercontinental Cup title with a dominant 3-0 victory over Mexican side Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Wednesday.
The match, staged at the venue of the 2022 World Cup final, was off to a slow start, but Madrid finally broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a stunning team goal. Vinicius Junior rounded the Pachuca goalkeeper before setting up Kylian Mbappe for a simple tap-in to give the European champions the lead.
Rodrygo doubled the advantage for Madrid just eight minutes into the second half. The Brazilian forward was classy with a clever fake on the edge of the box, before curling a super right-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Pachuca, the reigning CONCACAF champions, mounted a late rally but could not crack Madrid’s solid defense. Whatever hope they had of mounting a comeback was snuffed out in the 84th minute when Lucas Vazquez was brought down in the box. Vinicius stepped up to take the penalty and converted, albeit narrowly, to seal the win.
The victory marked yet another milestone for Real Madrid, who made sure of their dominance in the world arena and added the Intercontinental Cup to their already illustrious trophy cabinet.
