In his first appearance since recovering from a thigh injury, Kylian Mbappé made the breakthrough for Real Madrid in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final.

Real Madrid had a quiet first 30 minutes against Liga MX’s CF Pachuca at the Lusail Stadium. The reigning Spanish and European champions failed to find a shot on goal until Mbappé scored the game’s opening goal in the 37th minute.

Jude Bellingham played a perfectly timed through ball to Vinícius Júnior in the penalty area. The Brazilian deceived goalkeeper Carlos Moreno with a cross before passing the ball to Mbappé. The striker made no mistake from a few meters away and fired an off-balance shot into the empty goal.

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The goal is Mbappé’s 13th in the white jersey. The 25-year-old began his Real Madrid career with a goal in the UEFA Super Cup and has now scored another goal in his second final with Los Blancos.

The striker’s appearance was in doubt after he suffered another hamstring injury against Atalanta in the Champions League on December 10. Mbappé missed Real Madrid’s La Liga clash against Rayo Vallecano at the weekend but returned to training this week and received the nod from Carlo Ancelotti.

Mbappé is no stranger to scoring at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar. The France international scored a hat-trick in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final at the same venue exactly two years ago. The evening might have ended in disappointment for Mbappé, but he is well on his way to lifting his second trophy with Real Madrid.

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