Real Madrid vs Pachuca LIVE!
Real Madrid survived an early red card to defeat Pachuca 3-1 and earn their first Club World Cup victory.
Xabi Alonso’s side saw Raul Asencio dismissed for hauling Salomon Rondon down as the Venezuelan striker bore down on goal, but they put that early issue behind them with goals from Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler, and Federico Valverde giving them the first three points of the Alonso tenure. The victory itself may have seemed comfortable, but it was far from that - especially in the first half, as Madrid struggled to deal with the early intensity and aggression of their Mexican counterparts, who were brave in their press and tough-tackling in their 50-50 duels.
Elias Montiel netted a consolation for the outfit, but it wasn’t enough. Rondon saw a handful of chances pass him by, and substitute John Kennedy was lively when he emerged off the bench. However, he found Madrid shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois in inspired form, with the Belgian producing some brilliant saves to keep Pachuca’s score to just one.
Real Madrid vs Pachuca latest news
- GOAL! Montiel scores for Pachuca
- GOAL! Valverde makes it three
- GOAL! Guler doubles Real lead
- GOAL! Bellingham slots Real ahead
- RED CARD! Asencio dismissed for Real
FT: Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
22:01 , Oli GentThat’s it in Charlotte.
Real earn their first win of Alonso’s tenure, and Pachuca crash out of the Club World Cup.
Thanks for joining us on Standard Sport, be sure to come back very soon for even more LIVE Club World Cup action.
Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
21:54 , Oli Gent90 mins: Five added minutes.
Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
21:50 , Oli Gent88 mins: Victor Munoz replaces Vinicius.
Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
21:49 , Oli Gent86 mins: Pachuca attack down the right as Sanchez gets forward from right-back and strikes low, but Courtois parries.
Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
21:48 , Oli Gent85 mins: Can Pachuca set up a grandstand finish with another one? They’re pushing...
GOAL! Real Madrid 3-1 Pachuca
21:4480 mins: Goal! Pachuca have one back. Elias Montiel has a swipe from the edge of the area, and it takes a wicked deflection and goes in!
Real Madrid 3-0 Pachuca
21:38 , Oli Gent74 mins: Victor Guzman is on for Palavecino for Pachuca.
GOAL! Real Madrid 3-0 Pachuca
21:34 , Oli Gent70 mins: Goal! There’s the third, and it’s Valverde. It’s a superb run from the midfielder, as Huijsen sends Vinicius away. He checks, finds Valverde inside. Diaz dinks a ball into the Uruguayan, who stretches out a toe to poke it home.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:32 , Oli Gent69 mins: That’s a sloppy pass from Huijsen and Lopez picks it up. Rondon calls for it, but Lopez takes it on. Courtois tips it around the post.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:31 , Oli Gent67 mins: Not much more to update on from a Real perspective, but you forget that they’re down to 10 men. They’ve been knocking the ball around comfortably, leaving Pachuca chasing shadows.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:25 , Oli Gent63 mins: Close! Kennedy again gets another shot off, again looking to bend one into the far corner, but Courtois is there once more!
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:24 , Oli Gent62 mins: Carlos Sanchez and Javier Lopez are on for Pachuca, replacing Kenedy and Rodriguez.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:24 , Oli Gent61 mins: Two more changes for Real as Modric and Ceballos replace Bellingham and Guler.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:22 , Oli Gent59 mins: Close! Kennedy has made a real impact since coming on. The Brazilian picks the ball up from deep, looks up, and looks to curl one, but Courtois is equal to it!
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:19 , Oli Gent56 mins: Close! Pachuca are still posing a threat as Gonzalez’s cross-shot needs to be dealt with, and Courtois tips it behind!
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:15 , Oli Gent53 mins: Kennedy catches Bellingham late and will be lucky to get away without a booking. Saying that, the referee hasn’t brandished a card...
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:14 , Oli Gent51 mins: Still not seen much from Vinicius. The Brazilian is trying to make things happen down the left, but he’s been well marshalled by Rodriguez.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:12 , Oli Gent49 mins: Kennedy makes a lively start, picking the ball up and driving with it in the left half-space. He gets a shot off, but doesn’t test Courtois.
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
21:10 , Oli Gent47 mins: Substitutions afoot for both sides as Brahim Diaz comes on for Gonzalo Garcia, and John Kennedy and Gustavo Cabral replace Bautista and Dominguez for Pachuca.
Kick off
21:09 , Oli Gent46 mins: We’re back underway.
HT: Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
20:51 , Oli GentHT: The 10 men of Madrid go in at the interval with a two-goal cushion after a late flurry. What can Pachuca muster in the second half?
Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
20:47 , Oli Gent45 mins: Four added minutes.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Pachuca
20:45 , Oli Gent43 mins: Goal! It’s two, and it’s Arda Guler! That is some goal from Real, as they slice through their Mexican opponents. It’s a well-worked move, from left to right. The out-ball is Alexander-Arnold on the right, and he plays it into Garcia in the centre of the box. The striker sets it for the onrushing Guler, who strokes home for two.
Real Madrid 1-0 Pachuca
20:43 , Oli Gent43 mins: Good save! It’s a speculative strike from range from Kenedy as the Brazilian lets fly, and Courtois is down instinctively to stop him.
Real Madrid 1-0 Pachuca
20:41 , Oli Gent39 mins: Last ditch defending from Pachuca as Real come forward dangerously with Vinicius. He tries to do it all himself but gets crowded out, and Bellingham just about has the loose ball nicked off his toes.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Pachuca
20:37 , Oli Gent35 mins: Goal! Real are ahead, and guess who? It’s Jude Bellingham who puts them one up, and the first moment of real class gets them there. The two Garcias link up with a nice flick around the corner from Gonzalo to Fran, and the left-back finds Bellingham on the underlap. The midfielder latches onto the pass, and dispatches a lovely finish into the bottom corner!
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:3131 mins: Madrid make a foray towards the Pachuca box as Bellingham thinks about a shot, but feeds Valverde instead. The Uruguayan hits one, but it’s a tame effort that Moreno collects.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:30 , Oli Gent30 mins: The Real bench are up in arms as Gonzalo Garcia gets an arm in the face from Kenedy, who shields the ball from the striker. It’s not deliberate, though, and play continues.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:29 , Oli Gent28 mins: The ‘oles’ are out from the Pachuca fans as their side knock the ball about. Might be a bit premature, that...
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:27 , Oli Gent26 mins: VAR check! They’re checking for a penalty for Pachuca here! Guler makes a sloppy challenge in the box on Dominguez, but nothing doing, says the officiating team.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:25 , Oli Gent24 mins: Real aren’t shifting their mentality here, and that is the right thing to do.
Bellingham sends a searching ball to the right for Alexander-Arnold, but he is converged on quickly.
On the other side, Vinicius skips beyond Rodriguez to get a cross in, and wins a corner.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:22 , Oli Gent20 mins: Rondon is through here, is he? No! The referee calls play back as Rondon races away, having wrestled Tchouameni off it. The Frenchman goes down, and the referee deems that the makeshift centre-back has been hauled back by the Venezuelan. Another nervy moment at the back for Real.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:20 , Oli Gent18 mins: Big double save! Thibaut Courtois comes to Real’s rescue as Pachuca break with purpose. Rondon is off on his bike, but his pass is blocked. It cannons into Kenedy’s path, and the Brazilian shoots, but is denied by Courtois. The rebound falls for Bautista from about eight yards out, but the big Belgian is there again!
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:17 , Oli Gent16 mins: The play is stopped as the ball bursts.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:15 , Oli Gent14 mins: Real are still trying to control proceedings even with a man light. Tchouameni has dropped into the back four to cover Asencio’s position.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:10 , Oli Gent9 mins: Palavecino goes for the top corner with the free kick, but it’s high and wide.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:09 , Oli Gent7 mins: Red card! Rondon steams clear, and he’s in on goal here as the ball is clipped over the top from Rodriguez.
Rondon hares after it, and is hauled down by Asencio. The referee brandishes a red card as a result! Free kick in a promising position for Pachuca.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:05 , Oli Gent5 mins: Alexander-Arnold is quick to latch onto a loose ball but is tugged back by Rondon as former Liverpool and Everton collide early. No yellow for the striker, but a free kick for Real.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:04 , Oli Gent4 mins: Close! Pachuca have a corner won by Rondon, and the Venezuelan veteran peels away to the penalty spot to receive the delivery, but his shot from a clearly-rehearsed routine is blocked by Garcia! Pachuca can try again.
Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
20:03 , Oli Gent3 mins: An early tactical observation for Madrid, with Valverde off the right, and Guler tucked into that midfield berth.
Kick off
20:01 , Oli Gent1 min: We are underway.
The players are out
19:54 , Oli Gent... and we are almost ready for kick off, which is five minutes away.
Alonso's pre-match thoughts
19:50 , Oli GentAlonso tells DAZN that this game is “must-win”, aiming for three points in order to qualify for the knockout stages.
He speaks about wanting a “balance” bringing “control” within his team selection, with Arda Guler the only change he makes, coming in for Rodrygo.
15 minutes to kick off
19:44 , Oli GentThe atmosphere is building in Charlotte as kick off approaches.
Tonight's venue
19:31 , Oli GentTonight’s game will be held at the Bank of California Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Home of Charlotte FC, the MLS side, the stadium holds just under 75,000. It was opened in 1996, and was most recently renovated in 2021.
ICYMI: No Mbappe for Real
19:20 , Oli GentKylian Mbappe misses a second straight Club World Cup game despite being discharged from hospital.
The Frenchman was ruled out of the opener against Al-Hilal with a fever, but was back with the team two days ago.
However, Alonso said that this game would come too early for him.
Second start
19:13 , Oli GentIt’s a second appearance for Trent Alexander-Arnold tonight as he continues at right-back for Los Blancos.
He’ll be up against the former Chelsea winger Kenedy, but we’ll have to see how much he will look to invert this time around, after wanting to do so at almost every opportunity against Hilal.
Pachuca confirmed line-up
19:06 , Oli GentHere is how Jaime Lozano’s side line up:
Confirmed Pachuca XI: Moreno; Pereira, Bauermann, Rodriguez, Gonzalez; Palavecino, Montiel, Bautista; Dominguez, Kenedy, Rondon.
Subs: Aceves, Homenchenko, Hernandez, Hurtado, Jurado, Luna, Lopez, Pedraza, Rodriguez, Sanchez, Guzman, Kennedy, Berlanga, Cabral.
Real Madrid confirmed line-up
18:51 , Oli GentThe teams are out, and here is the XI that Xabi Alonso has plumped for...
Confirmed Real Madrid XI: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Tchouameni, Bellingham, Valverde; Guler, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius.
Subs: Lunin, Fran Gonzalez, Modric, Rodrygo, Vazquez, Ceballos, Diaz, Rudiger, Youssef, Jacobo, Chema, Fortea, Aguado, Munoz, Martin.
How to watch Man City vs Al Ain
18:30 , Oli GentMan City take on Al Ain at 2am BST tonight, but how can you watch the game?
Standard Sport prediction
18:15 , Oli GentThis should be a comfortable Madrid win, but they struggled for large parts against Hilal.
They will have had more time on the training groud, since, however, as new signings gel and Alonso gets his ideas across.
No Mbappe will hurt, but Garcia was an able deputy last time out.
Pachuca will be sure to have heart, but surely they can’t topple the 15-time Champions League winners.
Real Madrid to win, 4-0
Pachuca team news
18:05For the Mexicans, they were defeated in 2-1 by RB Salzburg in their opening fixture.
They have two standout names that Premier League fans might remember in their front three - former West Brom and Everton striker Salomon Rondon, and ex-Chelsea winger Kenedy.
Real Madrid team news
17:54 , Oli GentAs for the rest of the Real squad, it seems pretty similar to the opening game against Al-Hilal in terms of personnel.
Antonio Rudiger is one name that could make a return to action after he underwent knee surgery back in April, but he is back in contention for this match.
However, Madrid are still without a swathe of players, excluding Mbappe, with the likes of David Alaba, Eder Militao, Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy, Dani Carvajal, and Endrick all sidelined.
Is Kylian Mbappe playing for Real Madrid?
17:50 , Oli GentNo, Mbappe won’t feature for Los Blancos, despite being released from hospital earlier in the week.
The French striker was struck down with a fever and was forced to miss the opening game against Al-Hilal.
He had hoped to be available for his first Club World Cup appearance this evening, but he will not play any part with Xabi Alonso saying that he was better, but that the trip to Charlotte would come too soon for him.
Alonso stated that he hoped that Mbappe would return in the final group game, against RB Salzburg.
How to watch Real Madrid vs Pachuca
17:40 , Oli GentLive stream: Viewers can watch the action live online via the DAZN website. Kick-off is at 8pm tonight.
DAZN is the global broadcaster of the new-look Club World Cup. No subscription is required to watch the game, with the entire tournament available to their 'Freemium' members, which means you only need to sign up for a free DAZN account.
Hello and welcome!
17:31 , Oli Gent... to Standard Sport’s LIVE text coverage of Real Madrid’s Club World Cup clash with Pachuca.
Xabi Alonso takes charge of his second game with the 15-time Champions League winners, while Trent Alexander-Arnold could feature again in the famous white and gold.
Kick off is slated for 8pm BST from the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
