Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat trick as Real Madrid shook off a monumental effort from Kashima Antlers to lift the Club World Cup with a 4-2 extra-time win in Sunday's final.
Eleven-time European champion Madrid went into the match at Nissan Stadium as the overwhelming favorite to win its second world title in two years, against a Kashima side that qualified for the tournament as J. League champions and had played three games at the tournament already.
Madrid looked set for a comfortable night when Karim Benzema gave the Spaniards the lead in the ninth minute, but Gaku Shibasaki equalized for Kashima one minute before halftime before the same player added a stunning second seven minutes after the interval.