Alexander-Arnold revels in ´incredible´ Real Madrid debut – Soccer News

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Trent Alexander-Arnold described his Real Madrid debut as “incredible” as he played his first minutes for his new club in their 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal at the Club World Cup.

Alexander-Arnold played until just after an hour before being replaced by Lucas Vazquez at Hard Rock Stadium on Wednesday.

Gonzalo Garcia had given Xabi Alonso’s side the lead in the 34th minute before Ruben Neves levelled from the penalty spot in the closing stages of the first half.

Madrid almost started their Group H campaign with a win, only to see Federico Valverde’s penalty in the second minute of second-half stoppage time saved by Yassine Bounou.

Alexander-Arnold himself had a mixed game, struggling to contain Al-Hilal talisman Salem Al Dawsari, but was able to create opportunities at the other end of the pitch.

Indeed, the England international ended the match with team-high totals for final third entries (12) and total crosses (five, level with Arda Guler).

Only Valverde (17) played more passes in the final third than Alexander-Arnold (16), though the full-back did lose possession 12 times, more than any other Madrid player.

“It’s an incredible day,” he said on Channel 5. “It’s something almost every player dreams of. Of course, there is some disappointment not to have won the game.

“The mentality you need to have as a Real Madrid player is to want and expect to win every game. But there were a lot of positives, especially in the second half.”

Alexander-Arnold took the time to laud the “amazing” Madrid fans since his arrival from Liverpool, but also acknowledged there are improvements his new team can make.

Alonso became only the fourth manager to draw on his Los Blancos debut in all competitions, after Fabio Capello in 1996, Jose Mourinho in 2010 and Rafael Benitez in 2015.

But Madrid dominated the match metrics, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.64 from their 19 shots to Al-Hilal’s 1.88 from their 13 attempts.

“I think in the second half we kept the ball really well – that is what we lacked in the first half,” Alexander-Arnold added.

“In this heat, it is important to keep hold of the ball as best as you can. We were in and around their box a lot. It just wasn’t meant to be.

“Nobody is to blame and we take the positives, and we have things we can work on. I am sure we will do that going into the next game.”

Madrid play Mexican outfit Pachuca in their next Club World Cup group game on Sunday before rounding off their Group H campaign against Red Bull Salzburg.

Alexander-Arnold was also asked about how long he had been learning Spanish after speaking fluently in the language at his unveiling last week.

“Not too long (learning Spanish), it was something that was important,” Alexander-Arnold said.

“Give myself the best start possible, new city, new team, show I want to embrace the culture, immerse myself in it, adapt as quick as possible. It was very important to do so.”