Xabi's 1st Madrid win eliminates Pachuca at CWC

Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler scored precocious successful the archetypal fractional to assistance 10-man Real Madrid to a 3-1 triumph implicit Pachuca successful a Group H clash played amid sweltering conditions Sunday successful Charlotte, North Carolina.

Federico Valverde's sliding volley successful the 70th infinitesimal sealed Xabi Alonso's archetypal triumph arsenic Madrid manager. The effect puts his side's FIFA Club World Cup run backmost connected way aft a melodramatic 1-1 gully against Al Hilal successful Wednesday's opener, and contempt Sunday's aboriginal dismissal of defender Raúl Asencio.

Real Madrid (1-0-1, 4 points) tin clinch a spot successful the past 16 with a triumph oregon gully against RB Salzburg connected Thursday successful Philadelphia. Al-Hilal play Salzburg aboriginal Sunday successful Washington.

Thibault Courtois made 10 saves for the victors, though helium could bash small connected Elias Montiel's 80th-minute deflected effort that provided Pachuca (0-2-0, 0 points) consolation.

The Mexican broadside was eliminated contempt starring its Spanish foes 25-8 borderline successful shots wide and 11-3 successful efforts connected target. But arsenic successful Pachuca's 2-1 Wednesday nonaccomplishment to Salzburg, it was their opponents who had much prime successful their attacks.

Head referee Ramon Abatti Abel showed nary hesitation successful dismissing Asencio successful the seventh infinitesimal for denying an evident goal-scoring accidental aft the Madrid defender hauled down Salomón Rondón conscionable beyond the punishment area.

But aft absorbing unit for astir of the opening half-hour, the Spaniards raced retired to a 2-0 pb successful the half's last 15 minutes.

In the 35th, Gonzalo García's speedy flick-on freed Fran García down the left. The second past picked retired the precocious tally of Bellingham, who collected a quadrate shot and slid his debased decorativeness past Carlos Moreno from 15 yards.

In the 43rd, it was Guler providing the finishing interaction from wrong the country connected different flowing Madrid move, this clip with Gonzalo Garcia providing the last quadrate walk aft Trent Alexander-Arnold's first-touch cross.

Pachuca continued to use unit aft the break, with Courtois forced to propulsion Bryan González's early-second fractional effort implicit the barroom and John Kennedy's 61st-minute onslaught from region good wide of his near post.