Club World Cup: 1-1, the general missed a penalty at the last moment, Alonso did not get a good start in his debut

In the early morning of June 19, 2025, Xavi Alonso ushered in his first game in coaching Real Madrid, but the team only drew 1-1 with Saudi giant Riyadh Crescent in the first round of the Club World Cup Group H.

Although the lack of the top scorer Mbappe, Real Madrid's strength is still far better than their opponents on paper. However, clubs from Asia have shown diverse and confident tactical arrangements, which has made the game trend unexpected. Many key data in the first half showed that Real Madrid was at a disadvantage: the ball possession rate was only 45%, the number of shots was only 4 times (the opponent 11 times), and the expected goal value (xG) was also significantly behind at 0.46 to 1.54.

Real Madrid, the overall performance of the whole team was relatively passive, and only one counterattack in the first half created a threat. In the 34th minute, the 2004-born young player Gonzalo Garcia launched an attack, and finally received a return pass from Rodrigo and scored from close range, helping Real Madrid take the lead under a long period of pressure.

However, Real Madrid failed to maintain their advantage until halftime. In the 41st minute, Raul Asensio made a mistake and gave a point. Ruben Neves made a penalty and easily deceived goalkeeper Courtois and tied the score 1-1.

The side changes again, Alonso decisively changed the three-center-back system, and Trent Alexander Arnold was pushed into the frontcourt and partnered with rising star Arda Guerre.

This adjustment has improved Real Madrid's ball possession and offensive organization. In the 46th minute, Guere shot from a long shot outside the penalty area and then Garcia's follow-up shot was saved by the opponent's goalkeeper Bunu.

However, this active trend did not last long. In the rest of the second half, Real Madrid could no longer create a threat. Only in the 73rd minute, Valverde's long shot was steadily confiscated by Bunu.

The final moments of the game: in stoppage time, Kahtani fouled, and the referee decisively awarded a penalty kick. Valverde took the penalty but was saved by Bunu again, missing a chance to kill.

Finally, the game at Hard Rock Stadium ended 1-1. Riyadh Crescent became the first Asian team to win points in this Club World Cup. At the same time, Real Madrid and Inter Milan have also become two rare European teams that failed to win in the first round of group stages. It is worth mentioning that the highly anticipated new player Alexander Arnold left the field in a sad way after only 65 minutes, leaving no outstanding performance.