Alonso's Real Madrid Era Begins in Style with Commanding 3-1 Victory Over Pachuca
Real Madrid achieved a commanding 3-1 triumph over Pachuca at Bank of America Stadium, despite playing with ten men for more than 80 minutes.
Following a disappointing 1-1 stalemate in their inaugural FIFA Club World Cup encounter, Real Madrid entered their clash against Pachuca determined to claim all three points. However, the Charlotte fixture quickly became a challenging ordeal.
Within seven minutes, Raúl Asencio brought down Salomón Rondón, who was racing toward goal, just beyond the penalty area. The 21-year-old center-back received a red card for the reckless challenge, forcing Real Madrid to play with ten players for the remainder of the contest.
Pachuca created several opportunities, but exceptional goalkeeping from Thibaut Courtois kept Los Blancos competitive until Jude Bellingham found the net. The English midfielder delivered a precise left-footed finish in the 35th minute to open the scoring for his team. Subsequently, Arda Güler completed an excellent attacking sequence involving Trent Alexander-Arnold and Gonzalo García to extend Real Madrid's advantage just before the interval.
Real Madrid were happy to concede possession to Pachuca for extended periods in the second half, but the Spanish powerhouse effectively neutralized the Liga MX outfit. Remarkably, it was Xabi Alonso's squad that netted the opening goal of the second period. Following his penalty miss against Al Hilal, Fede Valverde made amends by converting an excellent delivery from Brahim Díaz.
Elías Montiel scored a consolation goal for Pachuca in the 80th minute, but it proved insufficient to ignite a revival. Jamie Lozano's team has been officially knocked out of the FIFA Club World Cup, while Los Blancos lead Group H with four points. This victory marks the first win of the Alonso tenure at Real Madrid.
Review the player ratings from the encounter below.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Pachuca (4-1-2-3)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Position / Player | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Thibaut Courtois | 8.8 |
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold | 6.9 |
CB: Raúl Asencio | N/A |
CB: Dean Huijsen | 7.8 |
LB: Fran García | 8 |
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni | 7.5 |
AM: Arda Güler | 7.8 |
AM: Jude Bellingham | 8.3 |
RW: Fede Valverde | 8.3 |
ST: Gonzalo García | 7.9 |
LW: Vinícius Júnior | 7.5 |
SUB: Brahim Díaz (46' for G. García) | 7.2 |
SUB: Dani Ceballos (60' for Bellingham) | 6.5 |
SUB: Luka Modrić (60' for Güler) | 6.4 |
SUB: Antonio Rüdiger (78' for Alexander-Arnold) | 6.2 |
SUB: Víctor Muñoz (87' for Vinícius Júnior) | N/A |
Pachuca Player Ratings vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1)
*Ratings provided by FotMob*
Position / Player | Ratings (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
GK: Carlos Moreno | 5.3 |
RB: Luis Rodríguez | 6 |
CB: Eduardo | 6.2 |
CB: Federico Pereira | 6.4 |
LB: Bryan González | 6.5 |
DM: Elías Montiel | 7.6 |
DM: Agustín Palavecino | 5.8 |
RW: Alexéi Domínguez | 6 |
AM: Alan Bautista | 5.7 |
LW: Kenedy | 6.9 |
ST: Salomón Rondón | 6.5 |
SUB: Gustavo Cabral (46' for Domínguez) | 6.2 |
SUB: John Kennedy (46' for Bautista) | 5.9 |
SUB: Carlos Sánchez (60' for Kenedy) | 6.3 |
SUB: Javier López (60' for Rodríguez) | 7.5 |
SUB: Víctor Guzmán (72' for Palavecino) | 6.1 |