Trent Alexander-Arnold expressed pride at making his Real Madrid debut despite the disappointment of a 1-1 draw with Al Hilal, as new coach Xabi Alonso insisted change would take time.
Madrid were second best for long periods in their Club World Cup opener in Miami, though they took the lead from Gonzalo Garcia’s 34th-minute goal.
Al Hilal deservedly equalised through Ruben Neves’ penalty and goalkeeper Bono preserved a point with a late save from Fede Valverde from 12 yards after Madrid were controversially awarded a spot-kick late on.
It meant Alonso, taking charge of his first game since replacing Carlo Ancelotti, was left frustrated, as were debutants Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen following their moves from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively.
Still, Alexander-Arnold said afterwards: “It was a very proud moment for me. I’m very happy to have made my debut. It’s something most, if not all, players dream of all their lives.
“I’m incredibly proud of the achievement, but of course there’s some disappointment [with the result] with the mentality that comes with being a Real Madrid player.
“You want and expect to win every game, but of course, with a new coach, new players, and new ideas, there are positives to take away, especially in the second half, and the foundations have been laid to go and win the next game.”
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Alonso echoed Alexander-Arnold’s sentiments regarding the upturn in the second half.
“The second half was much better than the first,” Alonso said in a post-match press conference. “In the first half we lacked a lot of things, we didn’t have balance. We’ve talked about that.
“I liked the reaction. We were able to change our rhythm, have more control, and play more in the opposition half. It’s a process. We have to take the positives and look to improve.
“I knew it would take time. There are things we have to change. We’ll have to correct them, and we’ll keep doing that. Everything takes time, we’ve had nine days, and some players have had just three training sessions. It’s demanding, we’re in a competition, but we want to learn, and what we want to do will take time.”
Madrid were without Kylian Mbappe for the Group H clash because of a fever, and Alonso could offer no insight into whether he will be available to face Pachuca on Sunday.
“We don’t know,” Alonso said when asked about Mbappe’s potential return.
“We’ll have to see how his recovery goes. The last two days he’s been ill with a virus.”
