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Real Madrid Claim Inaugural Intercontinental Cup Title with Convincing 3-0 Win Over Pachuca.
In a dominant display, Spanish giants Real Madrid secured a 3-0 victory over Mexico’s Pachuca in the final of the inaugural Intercontinental Cup.
The match, held at the state-of-the-art Lusail Stadium in Qatar, saw Real Madrid’s attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo Goes, and Vinícius Júnior prove too potent for their opponents.
Mbappé opened the scoring in the 37th minute in a Lusail stadium where he scored an hat-trick in that legendary World Cup final won by Argentina in 2022 – coincidentally, exactly two years ago today – as he expertly turned in a low cross from Vinícius Júnior, with Federico Valverde and Jude Bellingham also involved in the build-up.
Rodrygo doubled Real Madrid’s advantage early in the second half, curling a shot into the back of the net despite a VAR check for offside, the goal stood.
Vinícius Júnior sealed the win for Real Madrid from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute, after Lucas Vázquez was brought down by Oussama Idrissi.
The victory marked Real Madrid’s first trophy of the season, and they will be hoping to use this success as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.
Pachuca, despite having 10 attempts on goal, were unable to pose a significant threat to Real Madrid’s defense. The Mexican side deserves credit for making the match competitive for long spells, but ultimately, Real Madrid’s quality told as expected on a night when Carlo Ancelotti becomes the manager with MOST titles in Real Madrid history with 15 titles.
The win marked Real Madrid’s first Intercontinental Cup title in the competition’s current format. Los Blancos have a rich history in this international club competition, having won the previous Intercontinental Cup – which was active between 1960 and 2004 – three times (1960, 1998, and 2002) and the Club World Cup five times.
