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Ronaldo hat-trick wins Club World Cup
- Updated: December 18, 2016
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid claimed their second Club World Cup title, but the Spanish giants needed extra-time to see off the spirited Kashima Antlers 4-2 in Yokohama.
The Portuguese has won the Champions League, European Championship and Ballon d’Or in 2016 and ended the year with yet more glory, scoring his side’s second from the penalty spot before settling matters with a pair of fine finishes in the additional half-hour.
On paper it was something of a mismatch but Kashima, the first Asian side to reach the final of the competition, took a second-half lead at 2-1 and could have won it late in normal time.
Instead scores were tied at 2-2, Karim Benzema’s opener and Ronaldo’s penalty weighed against a fine double from Gaku Shibasaki, the Japanese team delighting 68,000 fans with their defiance.
That left the stage clear for Ronaldo, who had been poor for the first 45 minutes, to take a familiar place in the spotlight and extend Real’s unbeaten run in all competitions to 37 games.
Real captain Sergio Ramos missed the semi-final win over Club America but took his place alongside Raphael Varane …
