Gareth Bale leads the way for Real Madrid in FIFA Club World Cup semifinal

Real Madrid took on Japenese side Kashima Antlers earlier today and secured themselves a spot in the Final after a wonderful performance. Here’s a look at the match and what’s to come.

Santiago Solari and his men traveled to Abu Dhabi this Sunday, the day after their 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano. Their participation in the tournament was a result of Real Madrid winning the UEFA Champions League once again.

Having been the only team to win the CWC in back to back seasons, Real Madrid were on a quest to be the only team to do it thrice. Facing off against the winners of the Asian Cup, Real Madrid played the Kashima Antlers. The Japanese side gave Real Madrid plenty of trouble in the 2016 Final but missed key players this time around.

Santiago Solari fielded a strong starting XI despite the tournament not receiving plenty of respect from fans, as a fair number see it as a waste of time. Nonetheless, at Real Madrid, all matches and cups are taken seriously and Solari did just that.

Santiago Solari fielded a strong starting XI despite the tournament not receiving plenty of respect from fans, as a fair number see it as a waste of time. Nonetheless, at Real Madrid, all matches and cups are taken seriously and Solari did just that.

Despite rumours that Gareth Bale would be absent having left Monday’s training session, he was ever present as he scored a hattrick securing a spot in the Final for his side. Solari opted to play his most veteran back four ahead of Thibaut Courtois.

Marcos Llorente who has been phenomenal in recent weeks played between Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. Uptop was the same trio that played this past weekend consisting of Lucas Vazquez, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.

First Half

Real Madrid got on the front foot from the whistle as the crowd counted down the kick off in Abu Dhabi. Moving the ball around swiftly proved to be a tough task for Kashima, as Real Madrid had control of the ball for 66% of the time.

Marcos Llorente hustled and bustled through the midfield as he has this past couple of games helping his side keep possession when it was lost. Lucas Vazquez had a great chance of his own but opted to for fashion rather than function.

Thibaut Courtois came up huge on several occasions. While

Marcelo and Gareth Bale worked the flank tirelessly in an effort to unlock the Antlers defence. Their investment wouldn’t pay dividends until late on when Bale scored the opening goal of the match in the 44′ minute. A sweet one-two in and around the box saw the Welshman fire a tight angle shot into the side netting to give Madrid the lead heading into halftime.

Second Half

Los Blancos picked up right where they left off in the second half. The team started strong and took control of the game. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos were both mastful in slowing down the game and created chances.

Just 8 minutes into the second half Gareth Bale would strike again give Madrid a two-goal advantage. Neat play from the Welshman helped him create and execute his chance. Two minutes after the second goal he would hit back once again scoring the third goal of the match and completing the hattrick.

Much like the Rayo Vallecano game, Madrid had a few lapses where they lost their shape and allowed Kashima to attack. A disciplined performance from the backline ensured kept the Antlers at bay, but only for so long.

In the 78-minutes the Japenese side would finally get on the scoreboard but not before VAR could intervene. The play was questioned for offside in live time prompting the officials to use their new tool to help determine the result.

After a lengthy period of time, the goal stood making the scoreline 1-0. Thibaut Courtois was key in making sure his side kept a healthy lead. That would be the final scoring play in the game as Real Madrid cycled the ball around the pitch playing keep away trying to wind down the clock.

Santiago Solari made use of all three of his substitutes in the second half. Isco got some minutes along with Asensio while Casemiro made his return to the pitch. The Brazilian has been out for some time due to injury and swapped in for Llorente late on. Solari could also use the Final to give the holding midfielder some more minutes as that will be the team’s last match until January 3.

"“I just try to play football.” -Gareth Bale on his hattrick"

A strong performance was expected and Real Madrid delivered. Gareth Bale hasn’t been as bright as can be but his work on the pitch should propel him into more goal scoring and playmaking.

Real Madrid will take on Al-Ain, a team from the neighbouring Emerat this Saturday in the Final. Closing out before heading into the winter break would be a swell way for Los Blancos to cap off the year.

Stay tuned to The Real Champs for more great Real Madrid coverage!