Real Madrid outclasses Gremio en route to 3rd Club World Cup title

A hole in the wall was the difference.

On Saturday, Real Madrid deservedly beat Gremio FBPA 1-0 at the Zayed City Sports Stadium, as Los Blancos conquered the Club World Cup for a third time and became the first club to successfully defend the crown.

The lone goal was tallied in the 53rd minute, when Cristiano Ronaldo struck a free-kick through a poorly-constructed wall. It was a cruel blow for the Tricolor, whose defence was otherwise solid.

As is generally the case when a European club and a South American club battle at the Club World Cup, the former dominated while the latter acknowledged the superiority of its opponent. Real Madrid registered 62 percent of possession as Gremio, a club that normally plays possession-based football, was forced to try to score with a counter-attacking approach.

But it was a tough job for the Tricolor, who took the pitch without Arthur, the little midfielder who is drawing comparisons to Andres Iniesta and who was photographed wearing Barcelona's shirt at a meeting between representatives of the footballer and the Blaugrana. An injury denied him the chance to play on Saturday, and, as a result, the Brazilian club struggled to produce a threatening counter-attack and didn't fire a single shot on target.

Gremio did well in limiting Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, who both provide an aerial threat that was always going to trouble the opposition, but one mistake meant the club failed to replicate the success enjoyed by Corinthians, Sao Paulo, and SC Internacional at the Club World Cup.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are the only clubs to win the trophy three times.