A second half free-kick goal from Cristiano Ronaldo was enough to see Real Madrid past Gremio Saturday in the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Here is a quick recap of the match.
First Half
As we saw Wednesday against Al Jazira, Real Madrid was rather slow in the first 10 minutes or so of this match. Struggling to pass the ball or move forward with any danger, the high pressing of Grêmio worked wonders.
The best attack early in the first half came from a threatening run by Raphael Varane as the center back split the Brazilian midfield and worked his way into the box.
This run from Varane helped to open up the match a little bit for Real as they began to progressively get more and more pressure, earning six corners over the course of the first 45 minutes.
With good possession and some threatening plays from Luka Modric, it looked like Los Blancos were primed to score a goal at any moment despite only registering seven total shots in the half.
The best chance of the half for Grêmio came following a Casemiro yellow card on a free-kick attempt 40-yards out. The attempt on goal from Edilson was an absolute rocket that forced Keylor Navas off his line as the ball went narrowly over the crossbar.
At the half, the match was tied 0-0 but much like the semifinal against Al Jazira, it felt like Real Madrid were in complete control of the match and were not under any threat of allowing a goal.
Second half
The first few minutes of the second half resembled the first as neither team could control the ball with any kind of consistency. Gremio looked to be lagging behind with Real Madrid’s energy as the Brazilian side committed four fouls in the first 8 minutes of the second half.
A foul from Jailson set up Cristiano Ronaldo about 30-yards from goal on a free-kick to give Los Blancos the lead and that is exactly what the beast did.
The goal from Ronaldo, which ended up being the only one of the match, pulled the Portuguese international level with the great Pele for most goals in the Intercontinental Cup/FIFA Club World Cup with 7.
After the goal, it appeared that Grêmio’s remaining energy vanished as the team looked tired and somewhat content with being down by just one.
More from The Real Champs
- The Xabi Factor: What Alonso could bring to Real Madrid as manager
- Manchester City hold talks over Real Madrid target
- Real Madrid player confirms he is playing with a fracture
- Real Madrid superstar rejected Premier League clubs confirmed
- Spaniard ready to join Real Madrid instead of Liverpool
Just five minutes after the Ronaldo free-kick goal, it appeared that CR7 had added a brace, sending a nifty little half-volley into the back of the net, however, Karim Benzema, who set up the goal, was ruled offside and the goal was not counted.
There was no use of the VAR technology as the referee was not at liberty to review the call due to the assistant referee making the ruling.
The match seemed over from the hour mark on as Real kept possession, pushed forward with relative ease, and were stout in the midfield and at the back when Grêmio came anywhere near goal.
The biggest note of the remaining 30 minutes was the introduction of Gareth Bale who replaced the lackluster Benzema and showed some good pace going forward.
Bale got a couple shots on goal and came very close to make the match 2-0 with an outside of the boot, curling shot on goal that forced the keeper to make a tough save.
It was another routine win for Real Madrid and a win that won’t show how dominant they truly were in the match.
With the FIFA Club World Cup trophy in hand for a second consecutive season, Los Blancos will head back to the Spanish capital Sunday and begin preparations for El Clasico next Saturday.
For the FIRST time in the history of Real Madrid, the club wins 5 titles in one calendar year. pic.twitter.com/r2Fadihvjo
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) December 16, 2017