Real Madrid was strong with 10 players.
Real Madrid reported their first win. Real Madrid won 3-1 in the second Group H match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup against Pachuca (Mexico) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on the 23rd (Korea time). Real Madrid, which drew 1-1 with Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia), won its first match of the tournament and jumped to the lead in Group H with four points. Pachuca, the winner of the 2024 North American Caribbean Football Confederation (CONCACAF) Champions Cup, has been confirmed to be eliminated from the group stage with two consecutive losses.
Real Madrid operated a 4-3-3 formation on the day. Vinicius Junior-Gonzalo Garcia-Arda Guller made the three-top. Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, and Aurelien Chouameni were in the waistline. The four-back was constructed by Fran Garcia-Raul Asensio-Din subline-Trent Alexander Arnold. Thibaut Courtois wore goalkeeper gloves.
A large variable occurred in the 7th minute of the first half. Asensio was sent off. Asensio committed an unreasonable foul in the process of stopping the counterattack of opponent striker Salomon Rondon. The referee wasted no time pulling out the red card. Real Madrid fought for more than 80 minutes with 10 men, but showed good performance without wavering.
At the center was Courtois goalkeeper. Courtois made as many as 10 saves on the day. It was the highlight of the day's performance that blocked Roberto Kennezi and Elias Montiel's consecutive shots in the 18th minute of the first half. Even though Pachuka poured out 25 shots with a numerical advantage, he couldn't overcome Courtois. Real Madrid, on the other hand, showed off its concentration by making three goals with eight effective shots.
Bellingham scored the first goal for Real Madrid in the 35th minute after Garcia's pass. Bellingham's sharp shot stood out. He scored an additional 43 minutes. A fantastic pass to Arnold and Garcia turned to Guller. Guller scored an extra goal with a calm finish in the face of the opposing goalkeeper.
Real Madrid scored a decisive goal in the 25th minute of the second half. It was Valverde. Valverde fired in a cross from the right by replacement Braham Díaz. Pachuca scored one goal in the 35th minute of the second half by Montiel, but time was running out. In the end, Real Madrid won 3-1. Kylian Mbappe, who was out of the lineup due to gastroenteritis, was not listed on the day, but Real Madrid won the precious victory without a big gap.
Meanwhile, in the previous Group G match, Juventus won a 4-1 victory over Morocco's Widad. Juventus, which defeated Al Ain of the United Arab Emirates 5-0 in the first round, was in front of its advance to the round of 16 with two consecutive group wins. Withard, the winner of the African Football Confederation (CAF) Champions League in the 2021-2022 season, is more likely to be eliminated with two consecutive losses.
Juventus took the lead in the sixth minute with an own goal from Widad's defender Abdelmunaim Butuil. Kenan Yildiz's extra goal in the 16th minute of the first half widened the score. In the 35th minute of the first half, Tembienkoji Lorhi was allowed to score one goal, but the gap was widened again in the 24th minute with Ildiz's multi-goal. Juventus finished the victory by tying Doosan Vlahovic's penalty goal in extra time in the second half.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
