Despite being reduced to ten men early on, Real Madrid displayed their trademark resilience and quality to secure a 3-1 victory over Mexico’s Pachuca on Sunday, moving closer to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup.
The win places Madrid, now under the guidance of new manager Xabi Alonso, at the top of Group H with four points. In contrast, Pachuca have been eliminated from the competition following their second successive defeat. Saudi side Al Hilal, who drew with Madrid in their opening match, are set to play against second-placed Salzburg later on Sunday.
Madrid faced an early setback when Raul Sencio was sent off in just the seventh minute for pulling down Salomon Rondon, who had broken clear on goal. The red card gave Pachuca a golden opportunity to cause an upset in front of a crowd of 70,248 at the NFL’s Carolina Panthers stadium.
Pachuca pressed forward immediately, with Brazilian midfielder Kenedy forcing Thibaut Courtois into an early save, before Alan Bautista’s follow-up was also denied by the Belgian keeper. However, Madrid gradually regained control of the match, slowing the tempo and limiting Pachuca’s chances.
Their patience paid off in the 35th minute with a brilliantly orchestrated team goal. Gonzalo Garcia’s clever flick sent Fran Garcia down the left flank, who then found Jude Bellingham. The Englishman took the ball in his stride and slotted a composed left-footed shot into the bottom corner to give Madrid the lead.
Pachuca continued to threaten, with Courtois making another smart save from Kenedy. But Madrid struck again just before half-time, as Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a pinpoint cross from the right, Gonzalo Garcia delicately laid it off, and Arda Guler rifled the ball into the net to double their advantage.
The Mexican side came out strongly after the break, creating numerous chances and repeatedly testing Courtois. Brazilian substitute John Kennedy, Rondon, and Bryan Gonzalez all saw efforts blocked or saved. Javier Eduardo Lopez squandered the best opportunity, firing wide after a rare lapse in Madrid’s defence.
Madrid sealed the victory in the 70th minute when Federico Valverde calmly finished following a slick interchange with Brahim Diaz. Pachuca eventually pulled one back through Elias Montiel, whose shot deflected off Aurelien Tchouameni and wrong-footed Courtois, but it was little more than consolation for the Liga MX side.
