Real Madrid have their eyes set on a third successive crown from the FIFA Club World Cup after beating Kashima Antlers by a 3-1 margin on Wednesday.
Real Madrid sealed passage into the final of the FIFA Club World Cup as they seek to win it for a third season in a row. Los Blancos defeated Japanese giants and Asian champions Kashima Antlers by a 3-1 margin to set up a date with United Arab Emirates based side Al Ain in the ultimate match on Saturday evening.
All eyes in the match were on Gareth Bale who scored a hat-trick for the Whites and was named man of the match at the end of it. The first and third goals were assisted by the dangerous Marcelo, while Bale’s second was a capitalization on a mistake committed thanks to a blunder in the Kashima defence.
Shoma Doi scored a goal for the hosts but that turned out to be only a souvenir of their clash against the European champions after the Whites deservingly marched into the final at the back of a hard-fought yet commanding victory. While Bale obviously grabbed the headlines by scoring a treble, Marcelo was amazing throughout the match as well.
Now, let us have a look at the player ratings for Real Madrid following their victory in the semi-final on Wednesday.
Goalkeeper- Thibaut Courtois- 7/10
Thibaut Courtois had a decent evening in which he did not have to do anything. In his debut at the FIFA Club World Cup, the Belgium international would have hoped to keep a clean sheet, but that was sadly not the case as the Japanese team did bag a goal late on. Courtois will be hoping for better things in the final.