Xabi Alonso's debut at the helm of Real Madrid didn't yield the results that Real Madrid fans had hoped for, as the team only drew 1-1 against Simone Inzaghi's Al-Hilal at the Hard Rock Stadium. At least the Group H opener confirmed expectations of a great duel between two strong teams.
Al-Hilal started the match better and totally ignored Real's favoritism, and the initial scare came in the first minute, when Milinkovic-Savic's shot was saved by Thibaut Courtois. The early move showed an attacking stance against Real, and the organized team occupied more of the offensive field in the first half.
Salem Al-Dawsari is a name to keep an eye on because of his potential to break into European soccer in the near future. However, Real Madrid only needed one fatal counter-attack to open the scoring, thanks to a well-worked move involving Fede Valverde, Rodrygo and Gonzalo García.
But the fair scoreline before the break was confirmed by a totally childish penalty committed by Asensio, who was disarmed by Marcos Leonardo in the penalty area and deliberately pulled the striker down. Rúben Neves struck firmly to level the scores.
In contrast to a first half in which they struggled to connect in midfield, Real Madrid came back much more aggressively in the second half and piled up chances, while Al-Hilal struggled to get forward and lost control of the match. In the end, even Luka Modric came off the bench to try to consolidate the offensive volume in the lead, but Real were unable to overcome goalkeeper Bono and left the field without the victory.
Al-Hilal made history with draw against Real Madrid
Al-Hilal's draw was the first time in 25 years that a non-European team had faced Real Madrid without being beaten, which is a figure that takes into account both official matches and friendlies. The last time this happened was on November 27, 2000, in the 2-1 defeat to Boca Juniors in the Intercontinental Cup final.