Taking to the field in Charlotte, North Carolina (USA) with a squad of many key players, Real Madrid soon encountered difficulties when center-back Raul Asencio received a direct red card in the 7th minute after a foul on Pachuca striker Salomon Rondón.
Playing with one less player for almost the entire match, coach Xabi Alonso's team still showed the class of a top candidate.
Raul Asensio received a red card in the 7th minute.
After being pressured from all sides in the first few minutes, Real Madrid suddenly exploded. In the 35th minute, from a central combination, young talent Gonzalo García created a pass for Jude Bellingham to coolly finish and open the score.
Jude Bellingham opens the scoring for Real Madrid
In the 43rd minute, Gonzalo continued to leave his mark with a pass that tore through Pachuca's defense, helping Arda Güler easily double the gap.
Gonzalo García created consecutive opportunities...
Arda Guler doubled the gap for "Los Blancos"
In the second half, Real Madrid took the initiative to play slowly, defend tightly and take advantage of speed in counter-attacks. In the 70th minute, Federico Valverde launched a decisive volley right outside the penalty area, raising the score to 3-0 while the Pachuca defense was helpless.
Federico Valverde (8) makes amends after missing a penalty kick in the opening match
The Mexican team fought back in the final minutes and got a goal back in the 80th minute through Elías Montiel. However, that was all the CONCACAF representative could muster in a match where Real Madrid showed complete superiority, despite playing with only 10 men.
The match was also interrupted in the second half when centre-back Antonio Rüdiger was subjected to racist abuse by the crowd. The referee was forced to stop the match and activate FIFA's anti-discrimination procedure.
This unfortunate incident forced the organizers to increase security and supervision in the next matches.
Referee Ramon Abatti triggers FIFA's anti-racism procedure
Speaking after the match, coach Xabi Alonso said: "I am proud of the fighting spirit of the whole team. Playing with one less player, the players still maintained their organization and courage.
Regarding the incident with Rüdiger, we cannot tolerate discriminatory behavior, and expect FIFA to take strong measures."
Real Madrid full of hope in knockout round
With this victory, Real Madrid has 4 points after two matches, temporarily leading Group H. In the final round on June 26, the Spanish Royal team will meet RB Salzburg - a team with 3 points after one match. A draw is enough for Real to continue to the knockout round as the top of the group.
Meanwhile, Pachuca lost both matches and are certain to be eliminated. The final match against Al-Hilal is only of honor for the Mexican representative.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/real-madrid-thang-pachuca-3-1-tien-gan-ve-knock-out-fifa-club-world-cup-196250623071754764.htm
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