Real Madrid vs. Pachuca live score: Intercontinental Cup final result ...
Kylian Mbappe was on target once again at the Lusail Stadium but enjoyed a happier ending as Real Madrid beat Pachuca 2-0 in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.
Two years to the day since Mbappe's hat-trick for France in the 2022 World Cup final ultimately led to Argentina and Lionel Messi claiming glory on penalties, the superstar forward was back in Qatar to net a 37th-minute opener in this re-imagined competition.
The Intercontinental Cup of old pitted European against South America champions but Pachuca put paid to that throwback when they knocked out Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo last week. The Liga MX side, who have struggled domestically of late, then beat Al Ahly on penalties to set up a showdown with Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti's men progressed straight to the final as UEFA Champions League winners and the first half an hour was competitive enough until Madrid's superior class began to tell.
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Real Madrid vs. Pachuca score 2nd HalfGoalscorersReal Madrid3Mbappe 37', Rodrygo 53', Vinicius 84' (p)Pachuca0Venue: Lusail Stadium, Lusail
Referee: Jesus Valenzuela (Venezuela)
Lineups:
Real Madrid (4-3-3, right to left): 1. Thibaut Courtois (GK) — 17. Lucas Vazquez (35. Raul Asencio), 14. Aurelien Tchouameni, 22. Antonio Rudiger, 20. Fran Garcia — 8. Federico Valverde, 5. Jude Bellingham (15 Arda Guler), 6. Eduardo Camavinga (19. Dani Ceballos) — 11. Rodrygo (10. Luka Modric), 9. Kylian Mbappe (21. Brahim Diaz), 7. Vinicius Junior.
Pachuca (4-4-2, right to left): 25. Carlos Moreno (GK) — 24. Luis Rodriguez (32. Carlos Sanchez), 2. Sergio Barreto, 33. Andres Micolta, 8. Bryan Gonzalez — 5. Pedro Pedraza, 6. Nelson Deossa (Sergio Hernandez), 26. Alan Bautista (10. Angel Mena), 28. Elias Montiel — 11. Oussama Idrissi (18. Alexei Dominguez), 23. Salomon Rondon
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Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior combined smartly to give Mbappe a simple finish for another goal at this venue before Rodrygo scored a stunning solo second from the edge of the box early in the second period.
A VAR review deemed Bellingham to have been in an offside position but not interfering with play for Rodrygo's goal and Madrid were awarded a late penalty via the same means when multiple replays led to the conclusion that substitute Dani Ceballos had been tripped in the box by Oussama Idrissi.
Vinicius celebrated being named the FIFA Best Male Player of 2024 last night but steering an unconvincing penalty through Carlos Moreno. Madrid's fifth trophy of the calendar year had felt safely secured for some time by that point.
Real Madrid vs Pachuca statsReal MadridStatPachuca12Shots125Shots on target466%Possession34%699Passes3596Corners514Fouls130Yellow cards21Offsides1Real Madrid vs. Pachuca live updates, highlights, and commentaryFulltimeThat's that, Madrid will lift their fifth trophy of 2024 and the destination of this one was in little to no doubt after Mbappe opened the scoring eight minutes before halftime. Rodrygo extended the lead with a magnificent second before freshly crowned FIFA Best winner Vinicius added gloss from the penalty spot. Thanks for joining us.
90 mins+1: Mena thought he had Pachuca on the scoresheet but the flag is up.
90 mins: Vinicius through on goal but can't lift another over Moreno. There will be three added minutes.
84 mins: GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!! Vinicius (pen)!!!!
In truth, it's not a great penalty from Vinicius and Moreno guesses correctly but there's just enough on the strike for it to squirm under the Pachuca goalkeeper.
83 mins: PENALTY TO REAL MADRID! Idrissi is penalised. That feels harsh. There might have been faint contact but Ceballos knew what he was doing and it's one of those that looks more like a penalty the more you watch it.
81 mins: Ceballos goes down looking for a penalty. The crowd boo but the referee could not have been less convinced. On the replay it looks like a dive but Valenzuela is going to the monitor.
80 mins: This is a little gem of a cameo from the magisterial Modric, who forces Sanchez into a last-ditch tackle.
75 mins: Double change for Pachuca, with Sanchez and Mena into the action in place of the industrious Rodriguez and Bautista.
74 mins: Modric orchestrates a fine Madrid attack, Bellingham finds another cute through-ball and Moreno has to deny Vinicius with his leg.
73 mins: Modric floats one a free-kick into the box but Moreno is out to claim.
70 mins: Rondon gets up to meet Montiel's cross and heads onto the roof of the net!
69 mins: Bellingham and Valverde work an attack to Vinicius, who drags his right-footed effort wide. Rodrygo is making way for Luka Modric, 39 years young. He will collect trophy 28 of his Madrid career unless something crazy happens over the closing minutes.
67 mins: Free-kick to Pachuca, fairly straight and north of 35 yards form goal. Rondon arrows a fine low strike that Courtois beats out of his bottom right corner.
64 mins: Some more sloppy playing out from Madrid. It goes unpunished but they've probably eased off too much since Rodrygo doubled the lead.
61 mins: Double change for Madrid as Ceballos and Diaz come on for Camavinga and Mbappe.
60 mins: Courtois does well to get down to Gonzalez's cross with the veteran striker Rondon poised to take advantage.
59 mins: Dreadful giveaway in midfield by Madrid, who scramble back and the Pachuca attack progresses to Rodriguez down the right but no further.
56 mins: THE GOAL STANDS! Referee Valenzuela explains over the stadium PA - a good innovation whenever it's used, in my opinion, that he did not believe Bellingham to be interfering.
55 mins: VAR REVIEW! Hang on, they're having a look at Rodrygo's goal. Bellingham was in an offside position, squatting down in front of the goalkeeper. The question now is whether or not the Englishman is deeper to be interfering with play.
53 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!! Rodrygo!!!!
A wonderful goal from the Brazil winger, who collects the ball in the D, twists and turns away from a couple of challenges and then curls a superb strike beyond Moreno from the edge of the box.
51 mins: Sharp effort from Deossa that deflects off Garcia and goes behind for a corner. Again, the delivery isn't great.
Kickoff: 2nd HalfOff we go again. Can Pachuca flip the script and deny Real Madrid their latest trophy? They've 45 minutes to turn the tide.
HalftimePachuca kept Madrid at bay and competed well for most of the opening 45 minutes. But Madrid threatened to run away with things in the minutes immediately after Mbappe's opening goal and they will fancy doing so when the action resumes.
45 mins: There'll be one added minute and Pachuca seem to have effectively weathered the storm that followed Mbappe's goal.
39 mins: Now Valverde gets into the box on the right-hand side and clatters over the near post. Halftime suddenly feels a long time away for Pachuca.
38 mins; The goal was Real Madrid's first short on target and Mbappe fancies another as he thuds a low drive wide from outside the box.
37 mins: GOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!!! Kylian Mbappe!!!!
Madrid's stars combine to break the deadlock. Bellingham cutely plays through Vinicius, who deftly dummies his way around Moreno and cuts back across goal for Mbappe to convert.
34 mins: Moreno is out sharply to make a fine close-range save from Rodrygo. Then the offside flag goes up.
29 mins: Pachuca surge up the other end and Gonzalez wins a corner, which is taken short. Bautista has a faintly ludicrous shot from about 35 yards that's miles off target.
28 mins: Madrid continue to knock at the door but Mbappe can't quite get the ball out of his feet and is crowded out.
22 mins: Fantastic sliding block from Micolta to deny Rodrygo. The Pachuca defender came out of nowhere then. Madrid can't make the corner count but this is starting to feel like a pretty taxing experience for their opponents.
16 mins: Quick VAR check after a coming together between Valverde and Deossa in the Madrid box. Nothing in that though, no need for a check on the screen. On we go.
14 mins: Rudiger pings a cross-field ball for Rodrygo, who wants a free-kick following Bryan Gonzalez's challenge. Nothing doing and that's a goal kick.
12 mins: Into the Pachuca area in a flash and Vinicius wins a corner. Played short by Rodrygo, doesn't really work but they get another go. Now Bellingham can't get to a near-post delivery.
11 mins: Pachuca are switching play effectively here, pushing Madrid back and they win another corner. Montiel's delivery is cleared and here come Vinicius and Mbappe...
7 mins: Oh, hello! Pachuca right-back Rodriguez is allowed to advance and slaps a low shot from just over 25 yards. Courtois scrambles to push it around the post and Madrid deal with the corner.
5 mins: A Madrid attack breaks down after Mbappe is penalised for handball. He reckons the ball hit his stomach and I dare say he has a point.
Kickoff: 1st HalfOff we go. Real Madrid settle into some calm possession before Courtois launches it forward to no one in particular.
4 mins before kickoff: Here come the teams, entering the scene of the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. It means Kylian Mbappe is back at the scene of both an unforgettable hat-trick and probably his most crushing career disappointment. Lusail Stadium was heaving that night in 2022. Two years on, there are definitely more than a few seats going spare.
20 mins before kickoff: So, not to get all existential, why are we all here? Well, this competition basically fills the gap in the schedule (woe betide we have one of those) left by the FIFA Club World Cup, which will now take place as a 32-team expanded tournament next year to ensure we have no gaps in the schedule.
Anyway, the FIFA Intercontinental Cup featured knockout games with the club champions from FIFA's six affiliated confederations. Real Madrid gained an automatic place in the final and Pachuca booked their spot by stunning Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo 3-0 in the 'Derby of the Americas' on December 11 before knocking out Al Ahly on penalties.
The old Intercontinental Cup was played between the UEFA and CONMEBOL champions from 1960 to 2004, with Real Madrid prevailing on three occasions.
45 mins before kickoff: This is how Pachuca line up . It looks like that might be a narrow 4-4-2 diamond as they seek to starve Madrid of room in central areas.
— Club Pachuca (@Tuzos) December 18, 20241 hour before kickoff: Here's the confirmed Real Madrid team news. Aurelien Tchouameni gets the nod to start alongside Antonio Rudiger at centre-back. All the big guns are out at the other end of the pitch, with Jude Bellingham playing behind the all-star front three of Rodrygo, Kylian Mbappe and freshly crowned FIFA Best winner Vinicius Junior.
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1 hr 30 mins before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News' live coverage of Real Madrid vs. Pachuca at Lusail Stadium, Qatar with the FIFA Intercontinental Cup on the line. This is a new competition... and an old competition. We'll explain everything in due course.
Real Madrid vs. Pachuca kick off timeThe Intercontinental Cup final kicks off in Lusail, Qatar at 8 p.m. local time.
Here's how that time translates across some of the major territories:
DateKickoff timeUSAWed, Dec 1812:00 p.m. ETCanadaWed, Dec 1812:00 p.m. ETUKWed, Dec 185:00 p.m. GMTAustraliaThu, Dec 194:00 a.m. AEDTIndiaWed, Dec 1810:30 p.m. ISTReal Madrid vs. Pachuca lineups, team newsAncelotti has named a strong squad for the trip to Lusail with the Italian hoping to lift a trophy to ease some pressure following a mixed start to the season.
The main news focuses on a return to fitness for Kylian Mbappe after he missed the weekend 3-3 La Liga draw at Rayo Vallecano, with fellow France star Eduardo Camavinga also back.
However, defensive quartet Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao and David Alaba all remain sidelined.
Real Madrid lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Courtois (GK) — Vazquez, Tchouameni Rudiger, Garcia — Valverde, Bellingham, Camavinga — Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Injured: Mendy (calf), Carvajal (knee), Militao (knee), Alaba (knee)
Suspended: None
Pachuca knocked out Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo in the quartefinals and beat Al Ahly on penalties in the semifinals.
Despite the quick turnaround between games, they could stick with an unchanged lineup, including former Premier League striker Salomon Rondon.
Pachuca predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Moreno (GK) — Rodriguez, Cabral, Micolta, B. Gonzalez — Avalos, Pedraza — A. Gonzalez, Gutierrez, Idrissi — Rondon
Injured: Barreto (knee)
Suspended: None
Here's how to watch this FIFA Intercontinental Cup match across selected areas of the world's major regions:
TV channelStreamingUSAbeIN SportsFubo, Fanatiz, beIN SportsCanadabeIN SportsFubo, beIN Sports Connect, FanatizUK—FIFA+, DAZNAustraliabeIN Sports 3beIN Sports ConnectIndia—FIFA+
