Real Madrid Goes to Club World Cup Final… Jang Hyun-soo’s clash with Al Hilal
Spanish professional football La Liga’s Real Madrid advanced to the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final. As a result, Real Madrid will face Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia), where Jang Hyun-soo, a former South Korean national team defender, belongs in the final.
Real Madrid, who competed as the UEFA Champions League (CL) winner, beat Al Ahli (Egypt), the head of the African Football Federation (CAF), 4-1, in the semifinals of the tournament held at the Prince Moolai Abdallah Stadium in Morocco on the 8th.
Initially, it was observed that Real Madrid would dominate, but the gap was wider than expected. Real Madrid, which began to take the lead in the middle of the first half, scored the first goal in the 41st minute of the first half. Vinicius Junior took the ball away under forward pressure and shook the net with a calm shot in the goalkeeper’s one-on-one situation.
Real Madrid, which gained momentum, widened the gap in the second half. Federico Valverde pushed Rodrigo’s shot straight out of the opponent’s goalkeeper in the first minute of the second half. African national team Al-Ahli recovered one point with a penalty kick goal in the 18th minute of the second half, but lost 1-4 by allowing consecutive goals to Rodrigo and Sergio Arivas in extra time in the second half.
RealMadrid, which overpowered the “African representative,” will challenge Al Hilal, the representative of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who advanced to the finals by beating Flamengo (Brazil), the “South American representative.” RealMadrid, the most winning team in the tournament, will win its fourth championship this time. Al-Hilal tries to win the Asian club’s first championship. The highest ranking of Asian clubs before was Kashima Antlers (Japan) in 2016 and Al Ain (United Arab Emirates) in 2018.
Jang Hyun-soo’s performance is expected to be a highlight for Korean fans. Jang Hyun-soo, who plays as a defensive core for Al Hilal, has a chance to check his skills against world-class opponents. The final of the two teams will be held on the 12th in Korean time.