Real Madrid Claim First Win Under Xabi Alonso, Wydad and Al Ain Eliminated
Spanish side Real Madrid secured an impressive victory—their first under new coach Xabi Alonso—by defeating Mexico’s Pachuca 3–1 on Sunday in the second round of Group H action at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Pachuca nearly opened the scoring early, but Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save against Venezuelan forward Salomón Rondón (3). Moments later, Rondón drew a foul from Raúl Asensio as he broke clear on goal, resulting in a red card for the Madrid defender and forcing the Spanish giants to play with ten men from the seventh minute.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Real Madrid opened the scoring through a swift counterattack, as Fran García teed up Englishman Jude Bellingham, who blasted the ball into the net (35).
Madrid doubled their lead when new English signing Trent Alexander-Arnold sent in a cross that Gonzalo García laid off for Turkish youngster Arda Güler to slot home (43).
Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde added a third goal in the 70th minute, finishing off a pass from Moroccan substitute Brahim Díaz.
Pachuca pulled one back in the 80th minute when Elias Montiel struck from outside the box. The ball deflected off Frenchman Aurélien Tchouaméni and wrong-footed Courtois.
In the same group, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal played out a goalless draw with Austria’s Salzburg, raising their tally to two points—third behind Salzburg and Real Madrid, who both sit on four points.
To qualify for the round of 16, Al Hilal must defeat Pachuca on Wednesday and hope either Real Madrid or Salzburg wins their head-to-head. A draw in that match, coupled with a two-goal win for Hilal, would also see them advance.
Two Arab Teams Exit the Tournament
Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca and UAE’s Al Ain have been eliminated from the tournament following heavy defeats to Juventus and Manchester City—1–4 and 0–6, respectively.
Both European clubs secured qualification to the round of 16 from Group G ahead of their Thursday encounter to determine the group winner, with Juventus currently leading on goal difference.
For Manchester City, German international Ilkay Gündogan opened the scoring just eight minutes in with a cross intended for Erling Haaland that instead flew past stand-in goalkeeper Khalid Eisa—who replaced new Portuguese signing Rui Patricio—and into the net.
Argentine teenager Claudio Echeverri added a second with a direct free-kick (27), and City extended the lead further before halftime when Egyptian Rami Rabia fouled Swiss defender Manuel Akanji in the box. Haaland stepped up and calmly converted the penalty (45+5).
Gündogan added City’s fourth with a composed finish inside the box from a Bernardo Silva assist (73), while Norwegian substitute Oscar Bobb made it 5–0 (84). French youngster Rayan Cherki completed the rout with a strike from the edge of the area (89).
Juventus’ win was highlighted by Turkish talent Kenan Yıldız, who played a starring role. He set up the opening goal with a shot deflected in by Moroccan defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil (6), before scoring twice himself (16, 69). Serbian substitute Dušan Vlahović sealed the victory with a stoppage-time penalty (90+4).
South African winger Thembinkosi Lorch scored Wydad’s only goal of the match in the 25th minute.
Wydad remains winless in the Club World Cup across their appearances in 2017, 2022, and now 2025.
