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Real Madrid secured their first win at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Mexico’s Pachuca on Sunday night, despite playing with 10 men at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Xabi Alonso celebrated his first victory as Madrid manager after centre-back Raul Asencio was sent off in the 7th minute for bringing down Salomon Rondon, who was clean through on goal. The early red card left Los Blancos under pressure, but their superior quality proved decisive.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring with a composed finish after a brilliant run into the box. Arda Güler doubled Madrid’s lead just before the break, slotting home from a Gonzalo Garcia lay-off following a sharp pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Federico Valverde added a third in the second half, capitalising on a loose ball in the box. Pachuca pulled one back late through Elias Montiel, whose shot took a deflection to beat Andriy Lunin in goal.
Despite their numerical advantage, Pachuca failed to make it count. The CONCACAF champions registered 25 shots to Madrid’s eight but were wasteful in front of goal and had a penalty appeal turned down after a VAR review.
Madrid now move to three points in Group C and will qualify for the round of 16 if they defeat Red Bull Salzburg on Friday. Pachuca, meanwhile, are eliminated from the competition.
The win comes after Real Madrid’s 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in Alonso’s debut, and though the Spanish giants had to battle under the sweltering 33°C heat in front of over 70,000 fans, they ultimately showed their championship mettle.
Anthony Nlebem
Head of Sports at BusinessDay Media, a seasoned Digital Content Producer, and FIFA/CAF Accredited Journalist with over a decade of sports reporting.Has a deep understanding of the Nigerian and global sports landscape and skills in delivering comprehensive and insightful sports content.
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