Under the starlight in the early hours of December 19, the Roussel Stadium in Doha, Qatar, witnessed a marquee clash as Real Madrid took on 16th-ranked Pachuca in the Mexican Superliga, with the match officially kicking off at 1:00 GMT.
The battle opened, Vinicius and Mbappe's tacit understanding of the match was like a match made in heaven, the former skillfully over the goalkeeper, the ball unselfishly sent to Mbappe's feet, the latter a one-two, for Real Madrid first lead. At the break, Real Madrid led 1-0.
At the change of ends, Mbappe again showed his speed, his precise passes for Rodrigo to deliver an assist, and the score was quickly expanded. Vazquez's penalty kick hit the target to seal the victory. In the end, Real Madrid beat Pachuca 3-0 to win the Intercontinental Cup, their second title of the season.
Ancelotti's 4231 formation, Mbappe front, Bellingham, Vinicius and Rodrigo on both sides, while Valverde and Camarvinga as the back, Vazquez, Joan Armeni, Rüdiger and F. Garcia form a solid line of defense, Courtois guard the goal, the total value of the starting lineup of up to 1.07 billion euros. Pachuca's 4231 formation, with a starting value of just €27.7 million, featured Long Dong, a Chinese Super League veteran.
Nonetheless, the huge gulf in power was still evident. Pachuca, despite being ranked in the bottom three of the Mexican Super League, showed a strong desire to attack on both sides during the match. However, Real Madrid was able to laugh at the end of the game, but not without the individual ability of the 300 million euro gentlemen. Vinicius' precise assist, Mbappe's easy goal, Rodrigo's box break, and Vazquez's penalty grasp all highlighted the individual strength of Real Madrid's players.
The stats show that despite 65% possession, both sides had the same number of shots on goal, with Real Madrid having a slight advantage with 5 shots on goal. Real Madrid won in terms of conversion rate and efficiency, while Pachuca's performance in the Mexican Super League confirmed its weakness.
