Real Madrid 3 – 1 Pachuca Player Ratings: Jude Bellingham Rated 8.5/10 as 10-Man Real Madrid Ease Past Pachuca in Club World Cup

Real Madrid faced Pachuca in the second group stage match of the FIFA Club World Cup on 22nd June, 2025, at 3:00 PM (GMT) at the Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina. Both teams came into the game with a win in sight to stay alive in the competition. The Real Madrid vs Pachuca game started on a lively note as Salomon Rondon came close with a cleverly taken corner within the first four minutes. Real Madrid started with a high line, which was well dissected by acute through balls over the top.

Pachuca's pressure on the Madrid backline paid dividends, as Rondon was through on goal in the 7th minute but had his shirt pulled back by Raul Asencio at the edge of the penalty area. The referee had no hesitation whatsoever in bringing out the red card and provided the Spaniard with the marching orders. Madrid ditched their high back-line philosophy and went back to keeping more of the ball. It was against the run of play when Gonzalo Garcia played a lovely flick in the path of Fran Garcia, who teed up Jude Bellingham on the left-hand side of the penalty box, and the Englishman made no mistake in putting the ball into the back of the net in the 35th minute. Madrid doubled their lead in the 43rd minute when Vinicius Junior found Trent Alexander-Arnold with a lovely crossfield ball, which the Englishman cut in nicely for Gonzalo Garcia, who in turn set up Arda Guler for a neat right-footed finish.

Madrid kept showing their dominance in the second half; however, Pachuca showed glimpses of their attacking prowess whenever they got a sniff of the ball. It was in the 70th minute when Madrid scored a third goal through Federico Valverde, who provided an acrobatic finish to Brahim Diaz's exquisite lobbed through ball to put the game to bed. Pachuca made a comeback in the 80th minute through Elias Montiel, as the midfielder's shot took a wicked deflection and found its way into the back of the net. Pachuca kept pushing till the final minute but were well dealt with by the Madrid backline as they ended any hopes of a further comeback from the Mexican club.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

Goalkeeper:

Thibaut Courtois - 7.5/10

Courtois made a couple of good saves in the match and played quite neatly with the ball at his feet.

Defenders:

Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6.5/10

The right back drifted infield occasionally, creating an overload in the midfield. However, after Asencio's red card, he restricted his runs into the middle of the park and focused more on his defensive duties.

Raul Asencio - 3/10

Got sent off in just the 7th minute of the game due to a pull on Salomon Rondon at the edge of the penalty area.

Dean Huijsen - 7.5/10

The centre back put in a good shift at the back after losing his partner early in the game. Huijsen tracked the runs well and played the ball out from the back quite effectively.

Fran Garcia - 7/10

The left back combined well with Vinicius on the left, creating a threat every time he went forward. Defensively, Garcia was sound as well, giving Figueroa little to no chance to get into dangerous positions.

Midfielders:

Federico Valverde - 8.3/10

Valverde was all over the pitch again, chasing every second ball, lunging into duels every now and then. Valverde's surging runs created a sense of unrest among the Pachuca midfield as they were unable to deal with his pace. Scored the third goal of the game to seal Madrid's victory in a much-important clash.

Aurelien Tchouameni - 7/10

The midfielder had to drop back to fill in the void left by Raul Asencio. Tchouameni won several duels in the middle of the park and put his physicality to good use.

Jude Bellingham - 8.5/10

The Englishman was quite lively on the field, twisting and turning his way into the danger areas. Bellingham got into good positions with his darting runs and created a lot of half chances, which should have been taken better by teammates. Scored the opening goal of the game with an exquisite left-footed finish.

Forwards:

Arda Guler - 7.5/10

Although he didn't see much of the ball, Guler showed glimpses of what he is truly capable of. The youngster was seen tracking back to win the balls in the middle of the park, which somewhat hindered his offensive play. Took his chance really well as his deft right-footed finish doubled the lead for Madrid just before halftime.

Gonzalo Garcia - 8/10

Garcia didn't have much to do in the game, pressed the Pachuca back line well, and showed the intent to get into important positions in the penalty box.

Vinicius Junior - 7/10

Vinicius was quite lively on the left wing, took on Rodriguez quite a few times, and left him behind for good. A much improved game from the Brazilian, as his trickery completely bamboozled the Pachuca defense at times.

Substitutes:

Brahim Diaz - 6.5/10

Provided a lovely lobbed ball over the Pachuca backline to set up Valverde with a glorious chance, which the Uruguayan took full advantage of.

Luka Modric - 6/10

Dani Ceballos - 6.5/10

Antonio Rudiger - NA

Victor Munoz - NA

Manager:

Xabi Alonso - 7.5/10

Played the same team from the last game against Al Hilal, but handed Arda Guler a start in place of Rodrygo. He played his usual double pivot of Valverde and Tchouameni and maintained a high backline early on, which was vulnerable to Pachuca counterattacks at times. Asencio's red card forced him to change his initial plans, but he got his reinforcements in time to take control of the match.

Pachuca Player Ratings:

Goalkeeper:

Carlos Moreno - 5/10

Didn't have much to do in the first half; was good with his outing, as he claimed a number of corners and free kicks quite comfortably. However, the goalkeeper looked a bit unsettled with the ball at his feet which almost presented Vinicius with an easy chance.

Defenders:

Luis Rodriguez - 5.5/10

The right back had a hard time dealing with the lively Vinicius on the left. Rodriguez found it hard to keep up with Vini's tremendous pace which left the Pachuca backline vulnerable at times. Offensively, he was a threat every time he went forward.

Eduardo - 5/10

Should have done better for Bellingham's goal. The defender was slow to react and didn't close him down properly, which allowed the Englishman to take a strong shot in his stride.

Federico Pereira - 6/10

Didn't close down Guler properly for the second goal of the game. Pereira was the better of the two centre-backs - dealt well with the dangerous crosses and held the defensive line well.

Bryan Gonzalez - 5.5/10

Gonzalez made a good number of runs on the offensive front, providing ample support to Figueroa on the right. The right back found it difficult to handle Trent Alexander Arnold at times, as the Englishman's cutback was instrumental behind Madrid's second goal.

Midfielders:

Elias Montiel - 6.5/10

Montiel was instrumental in breaking Madrid's play in the midfield, which provided Pachuca with a good number of counter-attacking opportunities. Played the ball from the back and came out victorious from a number of important duels. Scored the only goal for his side.

Alan Bautista - 6/10

The attacking midfielder took a good shot in the first half, which was saved well by Thibaut Courtois. Bautista played quite a few good through balls down the middle and dictated the tempo of the game quite efficiently.

Agustin Palavecino - 5/10

Palavecino had a day to forget, as he was toyed by the likes of Vinicius Junior, whenever he tried to help his team defend. On the offensive front, the midfielder made a few good runs with the ball but was largely unable to find a good pass.

Forwards:

Alexei Dominguez Figueroa - 5.5/10

Figueroa didn't cause much trouble on the right, letting Fran Garcia play his natural game. The winger didn't track back at times to help out Rodriguez, whose advantage was well taken by the Spaniard.

Salomon Rondon - 6.5/10

The centre forward put his experience to good use to claim a foul from the inexperienced Raul Asencio, which ultimately resulted in a red card for the young Spaniard. Used his body well to hold the ball and made quite a few dangerous runs in behind the Madrid defense.

Kenedy - 6/10

Kenedy tried his best on the left flank as he got past Trent on a couple of occasions. The winger was inconsistent with his crossing and gave away the ball way too cheaply at times.

Substitutes:

John Kennedy - 6/10

Gustavo Cabral - 5/10

Carlos Adrian Sanchez Nava - 5.5/10

Victor Guzman - NA

Manager:

Jaime Lozano - 6/10

Lozano played a similar formation to that of Xabi Alonso, with two midfielders acting as a double pivot. He set his team up with two pacy wingers supporting a strong centre forward in the middle. His team started the game well but slowly faded away as Madrid gained momentum with every passing minute. His defence fell apart even after playing with an extra man. Made a couple of changes in the second half, which saw his team play with a bit more urgency.

Sportsdunia Player of the Match: Jude Bellingham