The dream of an all-Arab FIFA Club World Cup final is over, after Real Madrid defeated Al-Ahly of Egypt 4-1 on Wednesday in the second semi-final.
It came a day after Al-Hilal claimed their place in the final with an impressive victory over Brazilian side Flamengo. And though they will not face their regional rivals, the reality of the situation is still pretty special: The Saudi and Asian title-holders will face the 14-time European champions in Saturday’s decider.
Either the Riyadh giants will be crowned world champions for the first time or their Madrid counterparts will take the title for a fifth time.
Al-Ahly, meanwhile, will have to watch as their regional neighbors take on arguably the biggest club in the world and, perhaps, rue what might have been, because the one-sided scoreline on Wednesday did not reflect the problems they caused Real Madrid.