Asensio Ruled Out of Club World Cup Final

Madrid: Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio is set to miss the FIFA Club World Cup final against home favourite Al-Ain after sustaining a right leg muscle injury that could sideline him for a month, the Spanish powerhouse said on Friday.

During the few minutes he played in Madrid's 3-1 win over Kashima Antlers of Japan in the semi-final, Asensio struggled again with muscle discomfort and missed the group training on Thursday.

"Following tests carried out on Marco Asensio by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with a grade II muscle injury in the right rectus femoris," the club said in a statement.

Although the statement did not reveal how long Asensio was expected to be sidelined, the estimated recovery time in these cases is a month.

Seeking their third Club World Cup in a row and the fourth in general, Real Madrid is to take on first-timers Al-Ain who reached the final with three wins under its belt.

Al Ain defeated Team Wellington of New Zealand 4-3 on a penalty shootout as they were tied 3-3 at the end of the regular time, before routing Esperance de Tunis 3-0 and prevailing over River Plate 5-4 also on a penalty shootout as they played for a 2-2 draw in the regular time. IANS

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