Real Madrid 1-1 Necaxa
AET - Necaxa won 4-3 on penalties.


Mexican side Necaxa clinched third place at the World Club Championships after defeating Real Madrid in a nailbiting penalty shoot-out.

Striker Agustin Delgado scored the vital goal after Real's Javier Dorado and former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman had both missed their spot-kicks.

Delgado had earlier dragged his side back into the play-off with a second-half equaliser which took the tie to penalties.

Real Madrid had taken a first-half lead through Raul.

His 14th minute strike appeared to be far too close to Hugo Pineda, but the 37-year-old allowed the ball to slip through his weak block.

The third-place play-off was the first of four games in eight days for the Spanish side.

In contrast, underdogs Necaxa had already been granted a two-week break by the Mexican football authorities.

It is estimated that up to 80pc of the country's population was watching the match.

In recognition of their achievement, Necaxa's players had been promised an equal share of the $1m difference between the third and fourth place prize money for defeating Real.

The $50,000-per-man bonus failed to inspire a particularly energetic performance but nevertheless they brought themselves back into the game with an equaliser seven minutes after the interval.

Alex Aginaga, in his 11th season with Necaxa, provided a fine long ball to strapping striker Delgado, whose precise first-time touch allowed him room for a clinical shot into the bottom right-hand corner.

With the Brazilian crowd beginning to arrive in numbers for the main event, both sides began to inject some hunger into their play.

Substitute Sergio Vazquez - who replaced Montecinos at half-time - should have put the Mexicans ahead two minutes after the equaliser after another brilliant through ball from Aginaga, but he fired straight at Bizarri.

Three minutes later it was Real who spurned a chance to retake the lead.

Morientes' header hit the crossbar and though the rebound fell to the well-placed Raul, he scuffed his shot from three yards.

Torrential rain enlivened proceedings but the sides remained deadlocked until the end of 90 minutes, McManaman missing a last-minute chance to snatch the win.

Real had replaced many of their top players and it fell to 18-year-old substitute Samuel Etoo to take the first spot-kick.

He coolly slotted it before Necaxa's Sergio Vazquez smashed his home to make it 1-1.

Helguera slid his home to make it 2-1 to Real and it stayed that way when Salvador Calbrera hit the bar.

But McManaman put his wide allowing Perez the chance to level the scores, which he did.

Morientes and Aginaga then scored as both sides moved to four goals apiece.

Real's Dorado looked nervous as he walked up to take the final kick before sudden death and he duly blasted his penalty high.

Necaxa has earmarked goal hero Delgado for the final kick of the five - and he duly buried the ball to seal a memorable win over the Spanish giants.

Teams:

Real Madrid: Bizarri, Hierro, Sanchis, Karanka, McManaman, Helguera, Geremi, Savio, Dorado, Raul, Morientes.
Subs: Casillas, Oliver, Salgado, Redondo, Manu, Campo, Eto'o, Anelka, Ognjenovic.

Necaxa: Pineda, Cabrera, Almaguer, Higareda, Vigna, Milian, Aguinaga, Perez, Lopez, Montecinos, Delgado.
Subs: Alvarez, Guadarrama, Ambriz, Scotti, Acosta, Terres, Ochoa, Velazquez, Becerril, Hernandez, Oliva, Vazquez.
Referee: Julian Oscar Ruiz Acosta (Colombia)