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DOHA: Real Madrid won the Intercontinental Cup with a 3-0 victory over Mexico's Pachuca in Doha on Wednesday.
Mbappe opened the score in the 37th minute, and Rodrygo increased Madrid's lead early in the second half. Vinicius clinched an easy victory for the Spanish and European champions with a late penalty.
Mbappe returned to the Madrid lineup in Doha after missing Saturday's 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano due to a hamstring injury sustained in the Champions League triumph over Atalanta the previous week.
Mbappe raced in from close range to break the deadlock following excellent play by Vinicius Junior, who earned the FIFA Best Men's Player of the Year title the day before despite missing out on the Ballon d'Or.
Salomon Rondon, a former West Brom and Newcastle forward, spearheaded the assault for CONCACAF Champions Cup winners Pachuca, but they never looked like pulling off a shock, and Rodrygo's beautiful looping shot from the outskirts of the box put Madrid in complete control.
It was allowed to stand when the referee checked the pitchside monitor, despite the fact that Jude Bellingham looked to be in an offside position and interfering with the goalkeeper's line of view.
Vinicius added a third penalty six minutes later, following another VAR review after Lucas Vazquez was brought down in the Pachuca box.
"We understood it would be difficult to play only one game after such a lengthy travel. "We struggled at first, but we adjusted well," Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde told Spanish television channel Telecinco.
This is Madrid's second trophy of the season, following their UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta in August.
Carlo Ancelotti earned his 15th trophy as Madrid's coach, surpassing Miguel Munoz for the most in club history.
"I'm quite thrilled and satisfied. It is a success. "That's more than anyone else," Ancelotti stated.
This was the inaugural edition of the FIFA-backed Intercontinental Cup, which follows the structure of the previous Club World Cup and includes the six continental winners.
The latter is being extended to 32 teams by 2025 and will henceforth be played every four years. The Intercontinental Cup was previously held from 1960 to 2004 and included the European and South American championship teams.
Madrid won that championship three times, followed by a record five Club World Cup victories.
They are scheduled to face Pachuca again at next year's Club World Cup in the United States, as well as an Al Hilal club featuring Neymar and Red Bull Salzburg.
Madrid will face Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday in their last game of the season. They will return to the Middle East in early January to compete in the four-team Spanish Super Cup held in Saudi Arabia.
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