Mbappe, Vinicius help Real win the Intercontinental Cup

Exactly 2 years ago, Mbappe shone at Lusail Stadium, Qatar with a hat-trick and won the Golden Boot of the 2022 World Cup. But he and the French team lost to Lionel Messi's Argentina in the penalty shootout and could not win the World Cup for the second time.

Returning to Lusail on the evening of December 18, Mbappe continued to score and created more beautiful memories when winning his second title with Real. In the 37th minute, Jude Bellingham passed the ball to Vinicius, who crossed the ball past the Pachuca goalkeeper and then passed it to Mbappe to tap into the empty net to open the score.

Mbappe has scored eight goals in his last seven finals for club and country, with four of those coming at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. The France forward also scored in the 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win over Atalanta earlier this season. Mbappe became only the third player to score in his first two finals for Real in all competitions in the last 10 years, after Gareth Bale in 2014 and Marco Asensio in 2017.

Mbappe continued to make his mark early in the second half with a one-touch pass to Rodrygo. The Brazilian turned left and faked a shot, before placing his right foot into the far corner to double the lead. Rodrygo has scored four goals in Real's last five finals in all competitions, after a run of six without a goal.

Real ended the day in style in the 81st minute, when Lucas Vazquez broke into the box, feinted and went down after colliding with Oussama Idrissi. The referee initially did not award a penalty, but changed his mind after going to the sideline to review the footage. Vinicius fired a shot straight down the middle from the penalty spot. The Pachuca goalkeeper touched the ball but could not save it.

Vinicius has been involved in 13 goals in 12 finals for Real, with eight goals and five assists. The day before the final, the Brazilian forward received the FIFA The Best award for the best men's player of 2024.

The 3-0 victory helped Real win their second title of the season, after the European Super Cup. In the remaining part of the season, the royal team will compete in five arenas: La Liga, the King's Cup, the Spanish Super Cup, the Champions League and the new FIFA Club World Cup in the summer of 2025.

Carlo Ancelotti became the most successful coach in Real's history with 15 titles, surpassing the milestone of 14 held by the late legend Miguel Munoz. Midfielder Luka Modric became the most successful player in Real's history with 28 titles, including six Champions Leagues, five Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, four La Ligas, two Copa del Reys, five Spanish Super Cups and one Intercontinental Cup.

Because the new version of the Club World Cup will be launched from the summer of 2025, held every four years, FIFA renamed the old version this year to the Intercontinental Cup.

The winner of the African and Australian champions will face the Asian champions in the semi-finals. The other semi-final will be between the CONCACAF champions and the South American champions. The two semi-final winners will play the European champions in the final.

Pachuca, the Mexican representative and CONCACAF champion, eliminated Botafogo (Brazil) and Al Ahly (Egypt) respectively to meet Real in the title match.