Undeterred in the face of greatness: Al-Hilal bring Real Madrid down to Earth in Group H opener

Al-Hilal showed that they would not back down against Real Madrid on Wednesday, with the teams battling to a 1-1 draw at a sweltering Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Kicking off Group H of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, the teams each took to the pitch with new managers as Simone Inzaghi and Xabi Alonso made their competitive debuts for their new clubs.

Both managers will have much to chew on after a match in which the draw felt like a fair result, although some late heroics from the Al-Hilal goalkeeper did keep Real Madrid from walking away from the South Florida venue with all three points.

Here are the key talking points from the stalemate between Real Madrid and Al-Hilal, as seen by DAZN News.

Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal highlights

No fear in Al-Hilal

It was clear from the outset that Al-Hilal were not to be taken lightly, as they showed no fear against a team that they've already faced in intercontinental competiton.

These two sides faced off for the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final, which the Spanish giants won by a 5-3 score. We're not sure if there was an element of payback at stake for the Saudi side, but it sure seemed as though they had extra motivation as they came out flying on Wednesday, and were the better side overall for the opening 45 minutes of play.

With the weather conditions pushing into the high 30s Celsius, Al-Hilal were keen to keep a high pace to the match, and it paid off as they drew a penalty late in the first half against a tired Real Madrid defence.

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While they couldn't maintain that high-pressure into the second half, Al-Hilal made a very good impression against the most decorated club side in the world.

Trent debuts

Real Madrid made two big moves in the mini-transfer window ahead of this competition, both from the Premier League as Dean Huisen and Trent Alexander-Arnold joined from Bournemouth and Liverpool, respectively.

Both men were in the starting XI on Wednesday as Alonso showed no hesitation in throwing them directly into the fire.

For fans of the England national side, Alexander-Arnold's foray into La Liga will be a narrative to follow this upcoming season, and Wednesday's match provided a glimpse of what's to come for the 26-year-old.

(Getty Images)

Known for his attacking abilities, Alexander-Arnold showed the forward-thinking talent that made him so highly coveted — at least in flashes, as he spent much of the first half behind the ball due to Al-Hilal's bravery to open the match.

When Los Blancos were on the ball, Alexander-Arnold helped make things happen. He still has a lot of work to do to integrate himself into the side, but the English full-back made a good impression in his 65 minutes on the pitch.

New managers, new ideas

As previously mentioned, Inzaghi and Alonso were making their respective debuts after joining their new clubs ahead of this tournament.

Both will have a lot of work to do as they look to re-shape their teams in their own images, but the entertaining display put on Wednesday — along with loads of talent — indicate that both managers will have their clubs growing into this competition as their players become more accustomed to the demands and expectations of the new men in charge.

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