Real Madrid took a significant step towards the knockout stages of the Fifa Club World Cup with a hard-fought victory over Mexican side Pachuca. They managed to secure a 3-1 win despite playing with ten men for most of the match in Charlotte.
Their task was made considerably harder early on when Raul Asencio was shown a red card for a foul on veteran striker Salomon Rondon, who had a clear run on goal.
Pachuca proved to be a challenging opponent and created several opportunities. They also had a penalty appeal turned down after a review by the video assistant referee.
Despite being a man down, Real Madrid opened the scoring when Jude Bellingham latched onto a through ball, advanced into the penalty area, and calmly slotted his shot past the goalkeeper.
Arda Guler extended Real Madrid’s lead after Gonzalo Garcia played the ball into his path following a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Federico Valverde then added a third goal for the Spanish side with a close-range finish. Pachuca offered a glimmer of hope when Elias Montiel’s shot took a deflection and found the net.
The result means Real Madrid will secure a place in the last 16 if they defeat Austrian team Red Bull Salzburg in their next match on Friday. Pachuca, meanwhile, have been eliminated from the competition.
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