Islamabad, June 24, 2025: Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler found the net in the first half as a 10-man Real Madrid recovered from a dull showing in their FIFA Club World Cup opener to defeat Pachuca 3-1, in front of 70,248 fans at Bank of America Stadium.
Defender Raul Asencio was shown a red card just seven minutes in, leaving Madrid a player down for nearly the entire match.
However, the numerical disadvantage made little difference, as Madrid remained dominant over the Mexican side and earned Xabi Alonso his inaugural victory as coach of the Spanish giants.
Bellingham opened the scoring in the 35th minute by slipping in a left-footed effort into the right corner after receiving a pass from Fran Garcia near the box.
Güler extended the lead to 2-0 eight minutes later, striking a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner off an assist from Gonzalo García. Federico Valverde sealed the win in the second half with a sliding right-footed finish assisted by Brahim Díaz.
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Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was sharp, recording five stops in the first half, including two critical close-range saves, and finished with 10 saves overall.
Elías Montiel denied Courtois a clean sheet with an 80th-minute goal for Pachuca, who now sit 0-2 in group stage play.
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Kylian Mbappé missed both matches due to severe gastroenteritis and didn’t travel to Charlotte. The club hopes he’ll return Thursday versus Salzburg.
Madrid steadied themselves in FIFA Club World Cup after a shaky moment when Asencio fouled Agustin Palavecino. Despite being down a man, they remained aggressive, with Bellingham breaking the deadlock.
