Sports
Real Madrid beat Al Ain to win Club World Cup for third consecutive time
European giants, Real Madrid added another trophy to their cabinet on Saturday as they won yet again the FIFA Club World Cup.
Real, who have won the European Champions League three consecutive times, have had to represent the continent at the global stage – and won all three times since 2016.
It is a record fourth triumph for the Spanish team, who thrashed their opponents 4-1 in the final at United Arab Emirates on Saturday.
Ballon d’Or winner, Luka Modric curled home the opening goal from the edge of the area after Karim Benzema’s lay-off.
Read Also: Lobi Stars reach CAF Champions League group stage
Marcos Llorente hit a stunning 25-yard half-volley – his first professional goal – and Sergio Ramos headed in the third from Modric’s corner.
Tsukasa Shiotani nodded in for Al Ain before Yahya Nader’s own goal completed the rout.
Real have now won the title four times – in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
They now hold the record for most victories in the competition, which was first held in 2000, moving one clear of Spanish rivals Barcelona.
Earlier on Saturday, Copa Libertadores winners River Plate won the third-place play-off by beating Asian champions Kashima Antlers 4-0.
Gonzalo Martinez scored twice on what is expected to be his final appearance before joining MLS champions Atlanta United.
RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears
Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...