Real Madrid v Pachuca: Mbappe and Vinicius on target as Ancelotti becomes Spanish club's most decorated coach

Carlo Ancelotti became the most decorated coach in Real Madrid's history on Wednesday as goals from Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr secured a 3-0 win over Pachuca in the Intercontinental Cup final in Doha. It was the 15th trophy of Ancelotti's career at Madrid across two spells, taking the Italian past Miguel Munoz's haul. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 37th minute before Rodrygo doubled Madrid's lead early in the second half. Vinicius sealed a comfortable win for the Spanish and European champions with a late penalty. "It's a nice moment. It's an honour for me. Madrid are the club that everybody wants to coach because they're the best club in the world," said Ancelotti. "It's easier than winning them in other places because you have a great team and fanbase." It was the third Fifa trophy Madrid have won with Ancelotti at the helm having also won the Club World Cup in 2014 and 2022. Under Ancelotti, Madrid have collected La Liga, Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup titles twice each, and are three-time winners of the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Super Cup. The Intercontinental Cup final success comes a day after the former AC Milan coach picked up the Best men's coach of the year at the Fifa Awards. France striker Mbappe returned to the Madrid line-up in Doha after missing Saturday's 3-3 draw with Rayo Vallecano due to a hamstring injury suffered in the Champions League win at Atalanta last week. Mbappe swept in from close range to break the deadlock after brilliant play from Vinicius, who won the Fifa Best men's player of the year award a day earlier after missing out on the Ballon d'Or. Former West Brom and Newcastle forward Salomon Rondon led the attack for Concacaf Champions Cup winners Pachuca of Mexico, but they never truly looked capable of an upset and Rodrygo's fine curling strike from the edge of the area put Madrid in total control. It was allowed to stand after the referee consulted the pitchside monitor even though Jude Bellingham was in an offside position and appeared to be interfering with the goalkeeper's line of sight. Vinicius added a third from the penalty spot six minutes from time following another VAR review after Lucas Vazquez was chopped down in the Pachuca box. "We knew that after a long trip and playing just one game it's hard. We struggled at the beginning, but we adapted well," Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde told Spanish television channel Telecinco. It is Madrid's second title of the season following their Uefa Super Cup triumph over Atalanta in August, a welcome boost after what coach Ancelotti admitted had been a difficult period. "In this part of the season I was a bit anxious because I didn't like the team, honestly, but this will change in 2025 I'm sure," he said. "It's important for us to get to Christmas alive. If we think about the team after the defeat by Milan [in the Champions League on November 5], I think we've grown a lot and that gives us confidence for 2025." This was the first edition of the Fifa-backed Intercontinental Cup, which broadly maintains the previous format of the Club World Cup and features the six continental champions. The latter is being expanded to include 32 teams in 2025 and will now be played every four years. A past version of the Intercontinental Cup ran from 1960 to 2004 involving the champions of Europe and South America. Madrid won that competition three times and then lifted the Club World Cup on a record five occasions. They are to due to play Pachuca again at next year's Club World Cup in the United States, as well as Saudi Arabian champions Al Hilal , and Red Bull Salzburg. Madrid host Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday in their final game of the year. They will return to the Middle East in early January for the four-team Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.

Real Madrid v Pachuca: Mbappe and Vinicius on target as Ancelotti becomes Spanish club's most decorated coach

A 3-0 victory over Pachuca in Intercontinental Cup final gave Ancelotti the 15th title of his Real Madrid career to take him past Miguel Munoz