Ten-man Real Madrid secured their first win at the FIFA Club World Cup after defeating Pachuca 3-1 on Sunday evening.
FIFA Club World Cup
Result: Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
Date: 22 June 2025
Venue: Bank Of America Stadium
Los Blancos manager Xabi Alonso made one change from the draw with Al Hilal, as Arda Guler came in to replace Rodrygo while Kylian Mbappe missed out for the second game in a row.
The Spaniards got off to the worst possible start when central defender Raul Asenscio was shown a straight red card for denying Salomon Rondon, who was through on goal after just six minutes.
Despite going a man down, Los Blancos remained a threat going forward, as Vinicius was proving to be a difficult customer for the Pachuca defenders to deal with on the left flank.
The Spanish outfit went on to take the lead ten minutes before the halftime break, as Jude Bellingham latched onto a pass from Guler before drilling the ball into the far corner.
The lead was doubled just before the halftime break as Gonzalo Garcia and Trent Alexander-Arnold combined to set up Guler, who surged into the box before calmly firing home from close range.
The two goals certainly knocked the wind out of Pachuca's sails as they looked out of ideas in the early stages of the second half compared to the first stanza, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois barely tested.
Los Blancos, however, added a third goal in the 70th minute when Brahim Diaz turned provider to pick out the run of Federico Valverde, who volleyed home from close range.
Pachuca did grab a consolation goal with ten minutes left on the clock when 19-year-old Elías Montiel found the back of the net with a deflected strike from the edge of the box.
Photo by Qian Jun/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
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