2024 FIFA Intercontinental Cup: Real Madrid Outshine Pachuca 3-0

• Mbappe, Rodrygo, Vinicius Jr strike as Carlo Ancelotti’s men dazzle in Lusail showpiece
• Goals: Mbappe (37), Rodrygo (53), Vinicius Jr (84 pen)

The trio of Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr were on target as European giants, Real Madrid emerged the FIFA Intercontinental Cup 2024 champions after beating Pachuca 3-0 in Wednesday’s final.

It was indeed a fitting end to this inaugural tournament as Madrid rounded off a superb year in style at Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar.

Interestingly, with the victory, 65-year-old Carlo Ancelotti, who manages Madrid, also continues his impressive strides of parading one of the most decorated CVs in world football.

Lured back to take charge of Los Blancos for a second spell three years ago, following the departure of club great Zinedine Zidane, the Italian Manager knew that his only mission was to increase Real’s trophy haul and he has not disappointed.

He became the first manager to capture titles in each of Europe’s top five leagues, England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France, and has guided Real Madrid to two Champions League and La Liga doubles in three seasons.

Ancelotti’s Real Madrid silverware includes three Champions League titles, two Club World Cups, three European Super Cups, two Spanish League titles, two Spanish Cups, two Spanish Super Cups and, now, one Intercontinental Cup title.

However, for Wednesday night’s debacle that saw Madrid making good their pre-tournament favourites status, Kylian Mbappe opened scoring in the 37th minute when he finished off a slick team move to put the UEFA Champions in front.

With Jude Bellingham playing in Vinicius Jr, who produced some dazzling footwork to take the ball around Pachuca goalkeeper Carlos Moreno, the Frenchman was on hand to slot the ball into an empty net after receiving a pass from his Brazilian teammate.

The goal came exactly two years after Mbappe scored a hat-trick at the same venue in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 final.

Though Pachuca started the game brightly with Luis Rodriguez firing an early warning shot, Madrid’s keeper Thibaut Courtois was equal to the task in stopping his powerful drive from doing any instant damage.

Gradually, Madrid grew into the game, stamping their authority and, after Mbappe put them ahead, he almost made it 2-0 as his shot from about 20-yard whistled menacingly past the post.

The La Liga Champions doubled their advantage just after half-time, with Rodrygo curling home wonderful effort from the edge of the penalty area. After a VAR review that showed Bellingham was standing in an offside position when Rodrygo took aim, the referee judged the Englishman was not interfering.

Pachuca, to their credit, refused to buckle and captain Salomon Rondon saw a sweetly struck free-kick well saved by Courtois. The veteran striker then went even closer to reducing the deficit when his header went inches over the bar.

The Spanish club finally put the game beyond doubt late on as Vinicius, fresh from being named The Best FIFA Men’s Player on Tuesday night, converted an 84th-minute penalty to crown a dream trip to Qatar for himself.

Quotes
“I am very happy, it is natural. We did the things we prepared and this made the difference. Everyone played a good match, I am very happy. It was a match that in the middle of the season could have caused problems and instead we deservedly won it.” – Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach

“We had our chances, but their efficiency was decisive. We had opportunities and couldn’t capitalise on them. Many young players gained their first international experience throughout the tournament. It was an amazing experience. Of course, we wanted to win the final, but the effort was outstanding.” – Guillermo Almada, Pachuca coach

“These two days have been incredible for me. Yesterday, I received the award for best player in the world – and today I came here and won and was named the best player of the match.” – Vinicius Jr, Real Madrid forward

“I’ve been following Vini since when he started in Brazil. We never played against each other in the professional league, only with youth teams. We’ve always talked about all the difficulties he had in the beginning. He is an example of resilience, for everything he went through, and now he has become the best player in the world. I’m always happy for my friend’s achievements, especially after seeing his work every day.” – Rodrygo, Real Madrid forward

Award Winners 
Aramco Player of the Tournament: Vinicius Jr
Adidas Golden Ball: Vinicius Jr
Adidas Silver Ball: Federico Valverde
Adidas Bronze Ball: Elias Montiel