MX23RW : Friday, December 28 17:02:44

Club World Cup win adds gloss to 'wonderful start' for Real Madrid boss Solari

Club World Cup win adds gloss to 'wonderful start' for Real Madrid boss Solari
© Reuters
The European champions claimed the trophy for the third successive year.

Real Madrid boss Santiago Solari described Saturday's historic Club World Cup win as having provided "the finishing touch to a wonderful start" to his tenure.

Real claimed the trophy for the third successive year with a 4-1 victory over United Arab Emirates champions Al Ain in Abu Dhabi.

It was a record fourth triumph in the competition for Real, with them surpassing LaLiga rivals Barcelona's tally of three wins, as Solari celebrated his first silverware in management.

Solari has now overseen 13 matches in all competitions since succeeding the sacked Julen Lopetegui, during which Real – who are fourth in the LaLiga table – have won 11 times, lost twice and qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The 42-year-old was quoted on the club's official website as saying: "Being here is down to the players, they won this title.

"This trophy put the finishing touch to a wonderful start for me and we will try to keep going.

"Winning three Champions League titles and three Club World Cups will be hard to top. These players and this club have truly made history.

"This team and this club are used constantly winning. The more we win, the more you know how difficult it is to keep on winning titles. If you travel by plane, the more journeys you do, the more risks you run.

"We got through the semi-finals (a 3-1 win over Japan's Kashima Antlers) due to solid attack and seriousness and today it was more of the same. We played a well-rounded game and we got the win. We scored when we needed to."

The Spanish giants went 1-0 up in the 14th minute through Luka Modric's delightful curling effort, and Marcos Llorente added a fine finish of his own on the hour mark, firing a low shot in – his first Real Madrid goal.

Skipper Sergio Ramos made it 3-0 with a 79th-minute header and after Tsukasa Shiotani netted a consolation for Al Ain seven minutes later, the three-goal advantage was then restored in stoppage time via an own-goal from Yahia Nader.

Solari added: "I am really satisfied and now we are going to make the most of it because I really wanted to win this cup.

"It is a brilliant tournament and it is now more beautiful than ever before. It was great fun. The next step is to take a holiday because we need it.

"This team never gets tired of winning and gives this tournament the credit it deserves.

"You can't forget the titles we've won and must keep them in mind. We can't rest on our laurels, but we shouldn't stop enjoying it because it's hard to get here."


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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona17114248192937
2Atletico MadridAtletico1797125121334
3Sevilla1795330171332
4Real Madrid169252419529
5AlavesAlaves178451917228
6Real Betis177552019126
7Getafe176741813525
8Valencia1741031514122
9GironaGirona175751820-222
10Levante176472832-422
11Celta Vigo175662826221
12Espanyol176381824-621
13Real Valladolid175661619-321
14EibarEibar175662125-421
15Real Sociedad175481820-219
16Leganes174761620-419
17Athletic Bilbao1721051624-816
18Villarreal163671721-415
19Rayo Vallecano1734101732-1513
20Huesca1715111534-198

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