‘s first official match in charge of Real Madrid ended with a mix of emotions — a sigh of frustration, a moment of reflection, and a consoling hand on the shoulder of Federico Valverde. In the balmy Miami humidity, the 2025 opener delivered a night of intensity, intrigue, and unpredictability. Ultimately, Real Madrid and Al-Hilal settled for a 1-1 draw in a contest that was both a missed opportunity for the Spaniards and a resilient showing from the Saudi champions.

There were debuts, drama, VAR, and a last-minute penalty miss — all under the harsh Florida sun that gave the night a pre-season feel but with the stakes of a global tournament.

Garcia scores, Neves answers, Bounou wins the moment

Real Madrid’s breakthrough came somewhat unexpectedly. With sidelined due to illness, academy product Gonzalo Garcia was given a surprise start. The 21-year-old repaid the faith with a scrappy but vital finish to complete a flowing counterattack. It was far from elegant, but the sight of the ball rolling into the net was all that mattered — a first-team goal on debut for a local boy raised through Madrid’s system.

Al-Hilal, however, were not overawed. Under Simone Inzaghi, they stuck to their plan: pressing in numbers, exploiting the flanks, and looking for moments of overload. Their persistence paid off when Raul Asencio clumsily dragged down Marcos Leonardo in the box. Ruben Neves, ice-cold as ever, slotted the resulting penalty past Courtois to bring things level.

From there, the second half swung in Madrid’s favor. Alonso’s halftime tweaks — most notably the introduction of Arda Güler and a switch to a hybrid back-three — gave Los Blancos the structure and dynamism they lacked in the opening 45. Güler hit the crossbar. Garcia nearly had his second. Bellingham, Rodrygo, Valverde — all had half-chances. The pressure was relentless.

But Al-Hilal weathered the storm. Salem Al-Dawsari was immense, while Milinkovic-Savic’s physical presence in midfield was vital in keeping Madrid from running rampant. Still, it felt inevitable that a winner would come. It nearly did.

In the 90th minute, VAR awarded a penalty to Madrid after Mohammed Al-Qahtani caught Fran Garcia in the face with a high elbow. Bloodied but determined, Garcia left the pitch as Valverde grabbed the ball. The crowd roared. It was the chance to win it — until Yassine Bounou stepped up.

Diving to his right, the Moroccan goalkeeper pulled off a sensational save. It was a fitting finish from a man who’s developed a habit of performing miracles on the big stage.

At the whistle, Alonso made a beeline for Valverde, offering comfort and reassurance. There were no fireworks, but there was enough for Madrid fans to take hope from — especially the performances of young stars like Garcia and Güler.

Al-Hilal, for their part, proved they are not just here to make up the numbers. They had one of Europe’s giants on the ropes for large stretches and deserved their point.

The Club is off to a dramatic start.