Cristiano Ronaldo scores 500th career goal as Real Madrid reaches Club World Cup final over Club America

The Club World Cup isn’t necessarily a tournament you want to strut your stuff in when you’re the overwhelming favorite. It’s a tournament you want to win. Because it looks good in the trophy case. Because it ostensibly makes you the champion of all the confederations, even though it still isn’t regarded as highly as the continental tournaments. If you’re Real Madrid, it’s a tournament you just want to get through unscathed.

Because of the travel, going halfway around the world just a few days out. Because of the totally unfamiliar opponents. Because of the no-win equation of either beating teams you’re expected to beat, or being embarrassed by some lesser-known team from another continent.

Real Madrid, the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League winners, stayed on track early on Thursday morning against Club America, victors of the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League, by beating the wily Mexican side 2-0 in the semifinals in Yokohama, Japan. Real will face local Cinderella story Kashima Antlers in Sunday’s final for the chance of a second Club World Cup title in three years.

Real got goals in injury time of both halves to collect a record 36th straight game without defeat as Zinedine Zidane continues to thrive in his first year of management. Karim Benzema scored just before halftime; Cristiano Ronaldo doubled the score with just about the last kick of the game.

It was Ronaldo’s 500th career club goal in official competition.

After a tentative beginning (absent injured captain Sergio Ramos), Real Madrid began producing chances. Ronaldo headed off the post before the half hour, after hitting the frame earlier as well – albeit in an offside position. His free kick a little later was blocked by the wall, but he then smashed a left-footed volley from the rebound that America goalkeeper Moises Munoz parried well.

In the dying seconds of the opening act, however, America’s bunkering resistance was broken, to its frustration. Toni Kroos unloosed a wondrous through ball into the path of Benzema, whose learned touch with the outside of his boot opened the score.

On the hour, Ronaldo hit a rocket that Paolo Goltz blocked with his abdomen just in front of the goal line. Five minutes later, Ronaldo and Benzema got their signals crossed as both were wide open on a Lucas Vazquez cross, but the Frenchman wound up in the Portuguese’s way, ruining his clear header.

Finally, deep in extra time, James Rodriguez freed up Ronaldo to get his goal at last. Some controversy followed, as referee Enrique Caceres seemed to be consulting the new video assistant referee – making its debut in international competition in this tournament – to see if Ronaldo was offside. He then called the goal off, only to reverse course. And rightly so, because Ronaldo was on.

It was a solid and comprehensive win for Real Madrid, if an unspectacular one against a fairly feckless opponent. Zidane was unsentimental about that, though. “Our sole aim was to reach the final,” he said after the game. “So it’s job done.”

Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.