Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior starred as Real Madrid secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday in Doha, adding another trophy to the Spanish giants' collection.
Mbappe, returning to the lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in last week's Champions League win against Atalanta, broke the deadlock in the 37th minute with a close-range strike following a brilliant assist from Vinicius.
Rodrygo doubled Madrid’s lead early in the second half with a curling effort from the edge of the area. The goal stood after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor, despite Jude Bellingham appearing to interfere with the goalkeeper's line of vision from an offside position.
Vinicius, who was recently crowned FIFA’s Best Men’s Player, sealed the win with a penalty six minutes from time following a VAR review that confirmed Lucas Vázquez had been fouled in the Pachuca box.
Former West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United forward Salomon Rondon led the attack for CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca, but the Mexican side failed to mount a serious challenge against Real Madrid's dominance.
The win marked Madrid's second title of the season, following their UEFA Super Cup triumph over Atalanta in August, and provided a timely boost after what head coach Carlo Ancelotti described as a challenging period.
"In this part of the season, I was a bit anxious because I didn’t like the team, honestly, but this will change in 2025, I’m sure," Ancelotti told Telecinco. "It’s important for us to get to Christmas alive. If we think about the team after the defeat to Milan [in the Champions League on Nov. 5], I think we’ve grown a lot, and that gives us confidence for 2025."
The victory marked Ancelotti’s 15th trophy as Madrid coach, surpassing Miguel Munoz to become the most successful manager in the club’s history.
"It’s a nice moment. It’s an honor for me," Ancelotti said. "Madrid is the club that everybody wants to coach because they’re the best in the world. It’s easier to win trophies here because you have a great team and fanbase."
This was the first edition of the FIFA-backed Intercontinental Cup, which broadly follows the format of the previous Club World Cup and features the six continental champions. The competition will expand to 32 teams in 2025 and will be held every four years.
A past iteration of the Intercontinental Cup ran from 1960 to 2004 and featured the champions of Europe and South America. Madrid won that competition three times and subsequently lifted the Club World Cup on a record five occasions.
Madrid will face Pachuca again at next year’s Club World Cup in the United States, where they are also set to meet an Al-Hilal squad featuring Neymar and Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg.
Madrid host Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday in their final match of the year. The team will return to the Middle East in early January to compete in the four-team Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
