Real Madrid Stroll to Club World Cup Final

Real Madrid beats Al Ahly 4-1 in the Club World Cup semi-final, sealing their place in the final. Al Ahly will play Flamengo for third place

Real Madrid and Al Ahly players observed a minute silence in memory of earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium. (Photo credit: @realmadriden via Twitter)

Real Madrid's quest for the Club World Cup continued after defeating Al Ahly 4-1 in the semi-final. 

Vinicius Junior opened the scoring three minutes before half-time, with Federico Valverde doubling the lead just after the break. 

Despite a 65th-minute penalty conversion from Tunisia's Ali Maaloul, Real's Rodrygo and Sergio Arribas sealed the win in stoppage time. 

Al Ahly coach Marcel Koller was left frustrated with his team's defensive mistakes and missed chances in the second half, but promised to fight again in the third place play-off against Flamengo.

"It's a frustrating result because the team competed well against Real Madrid but failed to take advantage of the scoring opportunities," said Koller.

"As a team we will go into the game against Flamengo feeling strongly confident because we've seen their last game here against Al Hilal.

"We lost today but we fight again on Saturday."

Africa's most decorated team, Al Ahly, has a rich history at the Club World Cup, finishing third in 2006, 2020, and 2021. 

Despite their success, the ten-time African champions are still chasing their first win against European opposition at this level. 

However, with DR Congo's TP Mazembe and Raja Casablanca of Morocco delivering Africa's best performances at the tournament by finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2013 respectively, there is always hope for Al Ahly to break the curse and bring home the Club World Cup trophy.

Click here to watch the full match highlights

Stats and Reactions

Sergio Arribas (21 years and 131 days) is the youngest player in Real Madrid's history to score in the Club World Cup in the 21st century. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/107uoEEi67

— Real Madrid Info ³⁵ (@RMadridInfo) February 8, 2023

Valverde: I am very happy to score the goal. After many matches, I now feel more comfortable. I was mentally focused on appreciating every moment of this tournament and I scored a goal that made me very happy. pic.twitter.com/OV7tPsIzFe

— Real Madrid Info ³⁵ (@RMadridInfo) February 8, 2023

¡VAMOS! See you in the final…✌🏾⏳ #ClubWC @realmadrid pic.twitter.com/ikMHuZFnl7

— David Alaba (@David_Alaba) February 8, 2023

¡VAMOS! See you in the final…✌🏾⏳ #ClubWC @realmadrid pic.twitter.com/ikMHuZFnl7

— David Alaba (@David_Alaba) February 8, 2023