CHARLOTTE, N.C.: Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler scored first-half goals and short-handed Real Madrid bounced back from a disappointing performance in its Club World Cup opener to beat Pachuca 3-1 on Sunday in front of 70,248 spectators at Bank of America Stadium.
Seven minutes in, defender Raul Asencio received a red card, forcing Real Madrid to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.
It hardly mattered as Madrid dominated the Mexican club rest of the way to give Xabi Alonso his first win as coach of the Spanish power.
Bellingham got Madrid on the board in the 35th minute when he took a pass from Fran Garcia just inside the box and belted a perfectly placed left-footed shot past goalkeeper Carlos Moreno into the right corner.
Eight minutes later, Güler made it 2-0 when he delivered a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom left corner off an assist from Gonzalo García. Federico Valverde put the final touches on the win in the second half with a sliding right-footed shot off an assist from Brahim Díaz.
Goalkeeper Thabaut Courtois was on form with five saves in the first half. He turned away two point-blank shots in the early going and finished with 10 saves.
Elías Montiel ended Courtois’ bid for a shutout when he scored in the 80th minute for Pachuca, which fell to 0-2 in group play.
Kylian Mbappé has missed both Club World Cup starts after being hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. He did not travel to Charlotte, but the team remains hopeful that he’ll be ready to play on Thursday night against Salzburg.
Key moment
There were some uneasy minutes early in the match for Madrid when Asencio pulled down Pacheco’s Agustin Palavecino as he was entering the box following a breakaway, forcing Aurelein Tchouameni to move to center back. But Madrid stayed on the attack and Bellingham had the breakthrough goal.
Takeaways
Madrid looked very much out of sync on Wednesday, playing Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal to a 1-1 draw in Alonso’s first game when Federico Valverde’s stoppage-time penalty was saved. That changed on Sunday as the talented roster began to mesh, with precise passing leading to both first-half goals.
Noteworthy
The game was played on a temporary grass field. The stadium is home to the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, who play on an artificial surface. ... With temperatures in the low 90s Fahrenheit (low 30s Celsius), players were given a water breaks midway through each half.
What they said
“We stayed together really well. It’s impressive how the team comes together to win the game. I’m really happy with the team today.” — Bellingham.
“I’m here to win. That is my way. I want to make a statement. We played well on some occasions but I can’t settle for just that.” — Pachuca coach Jaime Lozano.
Real Madrid beats Pachuca 3-1 in Club World Cup while playing most of the match with 10 men
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Real Madrid beats Pachuca 3-1 in Club World Cup while playing most of the match with 10 men
- It hardly mattered as Madrid dominated the Mexican club rest of the way to give Xabi Alonso his first win as coach of the Spanish power
Shayan Jahangir and Jordan Cox ensure Dubai Capitals a play-off spot
- The defending champions become the third team after Desert Vipers and MI Emirates to make the playoffs of DP World ILT20 Season 4
DUBAI: Shayan Jahangir and Jordan Cox registered fifties to help defending champions Dubai Capitals sail into the play-offs with a strong six-wicket win over Sharjah Warriorz on Christmas Eve at the Dubai International Stadium.
Jahangir was also resourceful behind the stumps, getting dangerman Tom Kohler-Cadmore out in an impressive all-round performance.
Chasing 135, Dubai Capitals made light work of the target with an early blitz by Jahangir and an unbeaten Cox, who set the Dubai International Stadium ablaze scoring 61 off 50 balls with six fours and one six. His effort also fetched him the green belt, putting him on top of the highest scorers list in the tournament so far.
Jahangir and Cox set up a partnership of 76 runs off 63 balls after they lost opening batter Sediqullah Atal with just 17 on board. It was Harmeet Singh who bowled him out, but it took the Warriorz a lifetime to find another breakthrough. However, Sikandar Raza’s over made up for the long wicket-less spells as he picked up two crucial back-to-back wickets — that of half-centurion Jahangir and Mohammad Nabi in the 14th over. Jahangir was caught at long-on by Kohler-Cadmore while Nabi (4 off 4) holed out to deep square leg.
Taskin Ahmed packed off Leus Du Plooy (5 off 6) in the 17th over, but the Capitals were already racing towards victory at this point. Jordon Cox became the cynosure of the chase, breaking no sweat to make the target in five balls to spare.
The Dubai Capitals’ bowlers had also done exceedingly well, restricting the Warriorz total to a paltry 134/8 with Haider Ali and Waqar Salamkheil picking up two wickets each. Ali was extremely economical too, giving away just 13 runs in four overs. David Willey, Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi bagged a wicket each, contributing to the Capitals’ third successive victory that has landed them in the play-offs.
Asked to bat first, Sharjah Warriorz had an uneventful outing at the crease. Just as the opening batters were settling in, the Warriorz received an early jolt when Monank Patel (24 off 13) was run out by a quick-thinking David Willey. A mix up in the middle, Patel was sent back by Charles (43 off 46) with Willey at arm’s length from the bails. Losing a wicket in the fifth over with just 34 runs on board was a setback and it did not help the Warriorz cause when Haider Ali bowled Tom Abell (9 off 10 balls).
Kohler-Cadmore (3 off 4) followed suit. He was stumped by Shayan Jahangir while attempting to go big off Haider Ali but he was nowhere close to the ball and Jahangir was bang-on.
With just 65/3 on board in 10 overs, the Warriorz needed a solid partnership that could keep them afloat on a slow track at the Ring of Fire. There was still some hope with opener Johnson Charles piloting the innings and power hitter Sikandar Raza joining him after Kohler-Cadmore’s dismissal. Raza was also gifted a new lease of life when Jahangir dropped a simple catch off Haider Ali’s ball. Unfortunately, Raza (8 off 11) could not muster much from this opportunity as he lost his wicket, in a caught-and-bowled effort by Mustafizur Rahman.
Charles followed a couple of overs after, when he was attempting to pull towards the long-on boundary, but Willey took a fine low catch ending Charles’ batting prowess with two boundaries and two sixes.
From here on, the Warriorz were on a spiral, losing almost four wickets in the death overs but for the 24 runs coming off the final two overs. Adil Rashid and Harmeet Singh scored a quick 14 runs each. Tim Southee (5 off 2) contributed towards the Warriorz’ total to a chasable 134/8 in 20 overs.
Player of the match Cox said: “It was quite tough against spin, but when the seamers came on, we tried to put them under pressure. Jahangir was very impressive. We’ve been encouraging him to be aggressive, and it was great to watch from the other end. For me, it was about not leaving it to the next man.”
Sharjah Warriorz captain Southee commented: “We had to keep taking wickets to be in with a chance. The nature of the wickets is keeping sides in it for long. Not over for us. One game left, we win that and give ourselves a chance.”
