SUPER Eagles striker Odion Ighalo was a late substitute for Al Hilal as the Saudi Arabian club were beaten 5-3 by Real Madrid in the FIFA Club World Cup final in Rabat, Morocco tonight.
Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde each scored twice while Karim Benzema netted once as the Spanish giants clinched a record-extending fifth FIFA Club World Cup trophy.
Luciano Vietto bagged a brace for Al Hilal after Moussa Marega scored their first goal.
Vinicius, who broke the deadlock in the semi-final against Egypt’s Al Ahly, repeated the feat today.
The Brazil forward applied the finishing touch in the 13th minute after Benzema and Luka Modric combined to set him up.
Valverde then doubled the lead five minutes later, but Marega finished off a wonderful team move in the 26th minute to get Al Hilal on the scoresheet.
European champions Real Madrid turned up the style after the break and scored three superb goals.
Vinicius assisted Benzema with an audacious cross nine minutes into the second half to make it 3-1, and Valverde stretched the lead four minutes later.
Vietto dinked the ball over goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in the 63rd minute to reduce the deficit, but Real Madrid took it back to a three-goal difference when Vinicius curled home from inside the box just six minutes after
Al Hilal however refused to go down without a proper fight as Vietto struck again with 11 minutes left on the clock.
Ighalo was brought on with four minutes left in regulation time but Real Madrid held on to claim the trophy.
Earlier, in the third place match, Brazil’s Flamengo defeated African representatives Al Ahly of Egypt 4-2.
