Even though they were left with ten players in the early stages of the match, Real Madrid cruised to a 3-1 win over Mexico's Pachuca in their Group H match at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Monday (IST).
The game, played at the Bank of America Stadium, had seen the Spanish team come on the strength of a 1-1 tie against Al Hilal in their opening game in the tournament.
Trailing second-place FC Salzburg in the group table, Madrid were missing main striker Kylian Mbappe, who was out due to a case of gastroenteritis.
Madrid's work was made even harder when centre-back Raul Asencio was sent off with a straight red card after only seven minutes. He was punished for taking down Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon as the final defender, just beyond the penalty area, Xinhua reported.
Despite being outnumbered, Madrid was still dangerous. Vinicius Jr. almost seized on a mistake by goalkeeper Carlos Moreno, who was finding it difficult to deal with a simple back pass. The Pachuca goalkeeper just about managed to kick the ball away before Vinicius could get to it.
At the opposite end, Pachuca attacked and forced two good saves from Thibaut Courtois, with Robert Kenedy and Alan Bautista probing the Belgian goalkeeper up close.
Real Madrid seized the advantage in the 35th minute as Jude Bellingham picked up a pass from Fran Garcia and tucked the ball into the bottom right corner. Arda Guler added to the margin at the interval, netting with aplomb after a richly deserved move was set in motion by Gonzalo Garcia as he struck to the far post.
Halftime conversation regarding Asencio's early departure, Courtois had this to say to DAZN:
"It's two for two games now, the same error. It may have only been very minor contact but he needs to be that little bit smarter. But he is aware of that. We are going to fight for him and win without him. And then when he comes back, to win then as well."
Madrid maintained their dominance in the second half, with Federico Valverde scoring a third goal in the 70th minute. Pachuca equalized ten minutes later with a consolation goal by Mendoza.
In the day's other Group H fixture in Washington, D.C., Salzburg and Al Hilal played out a goalless draw. Real Madrid now sit atop the group with four points, edging ahead of Salzburg on goal difference. Al Hilal follow with two points, while Pachuca exit the tournament after suffering back-to-back losses.
The last group stage match will feature Al Hilal playing against Pachuca in Nashville, while Madrid play Salzburg in Philadelphia on Thursday.
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