Gareth Bale hat-trick sends Real Madrid into the Club World Cup final
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Your support makes all the difference.Gareth Bale scored a hat-trick in 11 minutes to put Real Madrid in control in their Club World Cup semi-final clash against Kashima Antlers in Abu Dhabi.
The Wales forward opened the scoring just before the break, side-footing home, and then added two more in quick succession early in the second half to put the Spanish giants 3-0 up.
He scored his second after 53 minutes and completed his treble two minutes later with another neat finish to become the third player in Club World Cup history to score a hat-trick.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez also managed the feat.
PA
PREVIEW
Real Madrid vs Kashima Antlers kicks off at 4:30pm on Wednesday 19 December.
Where can I watch it?
The match will not be shown live in the UK, but you can follow the action with The Independent’s live blog.
Which teams are involved?
River Plate, Argentina (Conmebol)
Real Madrid, Spain (Uefa)
Kashima Antlers, Japan (AFC)
Esperance de Tunis, Tunisia (CAF)
Guadalajara, Mexico (Concacaf)
Team Wellington, New Zealand (OFC)
Al Ain, UAE (AFC)
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of today's Fifa Club World Cup semi-final between Real Madrid and Kashima Antlers, brought to you from the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Kick-off is scheduled for 4.30pm, with team news set to be released an hour before kick-off when we'll begin our in-depth build-up.
TEAM NEWS
Santiago Solari has opted for a very strong Real Madrid starting lineup.
Both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema fit to start, then, for Real Madrid.
The Spanish side are looking for their third consecutive Club World Cup victory, and with the continuing lacklustre showings in domestic competition the tournament could offer a welcome distraction from their La Liga struggles.
We are expecting team news for the Japanese side imminently...
TEAM NEWS
And here is the Kashima Antlers side picked by manager Go Oiwa...
So what do we know of the Kashima Antlers?
The Japanese side finished third in this year's J1 League domestically, but earned their place in the Club World Cup with a first ever AFC Champions League victory, beating Iranian side Persepolis in the final.
They entered this year's competition in the second round, beating CONCACAF representatives Guadalajara 3-2. However, this is not their first rodeo at the Club World Cup...
Indeed, the Antlers also took part in 2016, entering in the play-off round.
Impressive wins over Auckland City, Mamelodi Sundowns and Atletico Nacional took them into the final, where they played...
Real Madrid!
It was a back-and-forth contest of considerable difficulty for the much-fancied Spaniards, with Kashima taking the game to extra time thanks to a brace from Gaku Shibasaki, now of Getafe.
But Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the additional period to complete his hat-trick and secure Madrid's second Club World Cup win.
Waiting in the final...
Home favourites Al-Ain await the winner of today's semi-final after a surprise win on penalties over River Plate yesterday.
The Emirati champions went five-for-five in the shootout to reach the final of their first Club World Cup. Impressive!
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