Real Madrid wins sixth Club World Cup title with Cristiano Ronaldo's free kick goal

Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid added to their legend with a sixth world title for the white team, thanks to a free kick goal from the Portuguese, which allowed them to defeat Gremio Porto Alegre 1-0 on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

The white team becomes the first team to win the Club World Cup two times in a row, achieving their third title in the tournament in four years, which they add to the three they won in the extinct Intercontinental Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo, recently awarded the Ballon d'Or in Paris, was also declared the best player of the match and set the record for the top scorer in the history of the competition with seven goals, having also scored in the semifinal against Al Jazira.

Brazil and South America once again go without a title, which they haven't won since Corinthians achieved it in 2012.

The teams from CONMEBOL have only managed to win four times in fourteen editions played.

Furthermore, adding Club World Cup and Intercontinental Cup titles, Spain reaches Brazil at the top spot, with ten titles each.

Real Madrid dominates Gremio to win the title

Real Madrid sought the game from the first minute, with a daring 4-3-3 formation, featuring Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Karim Benzema up front.

Gremio, on the other hand, crowded the midfield to suffocate Real Madrid's play, leaving Lucas Barrios as the only clear forward.

In this way, Real Madrid took control of the game in the early minutes, while Gremio seemed helpless against the white team.

But Real Madrid lacked effectiveness, just like they did in the first half of the semifinals against Al Jazira.

Gremio settled as the minutes went by, and their fast transitions from their own half to Real Madrid's area began to create unease in the Spanish team.

At the end of the first half, Real Madrid regained their rhythm, with an incisive Cristiano Ronaldo, who wanted to increase his record of goals in World Cups.

But Gremio was able to survive the first half when Real Madrid had enjoyed 64 percent possession.

After the break, the same pattern continued. Gremio crowded the midfield and left no spaces between their lines, forcing Real Madrid to look for plays on the wings.

The goal could only come from a set piece, and it came with a free kick from Cristiano Ronaldo in the 53rd minute, taking advantage of the opening in the Brazilian team's wall.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a second goal shortly after, in the 57th minute, but it was disallowed by Mexican referee César Ramos for an offside call on Karim Benzema.

After the half-hour mark, Croatian Luka Modric hit the woodwork with a shot.

Real Madrid continued to overwhelmingly dominate a team that has characterized this season for taking the initiative in their matches but couldn't handle the white storm.

Zinedine Zidane, who, with his second world title as a coach, approached Pep Guardiola's three, made substitutions in the final minutes, bringing in Gareth Bale and Lucas Vázquez as fresh legs, replacing Karim Benzema and Isco.

And Bale, who had scored the saving goal in the semifinals against Al Jazira, a minute after coming on, came close to scoring his second goal of the tournament in a play that ended in a corner kick.

Real Madrid allowed Gremio to take the initiative in the final minutes, but the score would no longer change.