Real Madrid 1-0 Gremio: 5 talking points
Real Madrid defended their Club World Cup title and became the first team in history to do so. The Club World Cup is Real's 5th title this year to round off a successful 2017. Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliant free-kick in the 53rd minute settled the game in Real's favour.
Zidane made three changes to the team that beat Al Jazira on Wednesday. Toni Kroos, Carvajal, and Sergio Ramos returned to the starting lineup as the gaffer fielded his best eleven for the final. Gremio named an unchanged side that defeated Pachuca in the semi-finals.
On that note, Let's see the key talking points from the final.
#5 Real failed to create clear-cut chances in the first half
Real started the game well as expected and dominated the possession. They moved the ball well in the opponent's half and looked firmly in control of the game. Their first corner came in the 11th minute but Real could not make anything out of it.
Real's first big chance came in the 20th minute but Carvajal's effort was cleared away for a corner. Another chance fell to Luka Modric but he dragged his shot wide. Ronaldo failed to hit the target when presented with an opportunity from a free-kick.
The first half finished 0-0 as Real were unable to create any clear-cut chances throughout the 45 minutes. The lack of sharpness in front of goal was clearly evident once again for real Madrid.