Real Madrid's dramatic explosion: 'The Vultures' awaken after disaster

Real Madrid had the best moments of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup when they beat Pachuca 3-1, a match in which Asencio "took an early bath" from the 7th minute.

1. Real Madrid's 2025 FIFA Club World Cup journey and the Xabi Alonso era started with a disappointing draw, and as soon as they entered the next match, they fell into a seemingly collapsing situation.

The drama soon began as Raul Asencio was once again the main man. The young centre-back was at fault in the opening game when he conceded the penalty that allowed Al Hilal to equalise.

Asencio made two similar mistakes in two consecutive matches. Photo: EFE

This time it was another big mistake. With the ball rolling for just over six minutes, Salomon Rondon – a veteran of nearly 800 battles – escaped Asencio with a long ball, running up to face Thibaut Courtois.

Asencio could only pull Rondon and the Venezuelan striker fell to the grass. The referee did not hesitate and made an easy decision: red card.

The gap between theory on the canvas and reality on the pitch is always an unfathomable chasm. In a race against time, Xabi Alonso envisions the movements, connections, spaces and coordination corridors.

Reality foiled his plans, however, with Asencio making the same mistake he made against Al Hilal , something Alonso had insisted a few days earlier was “avoidable” .

From the technical area, Xabi Alonso frowned. In the VIP stands, some Real Madrid legends – such as Roberto Carlos, Santiago Solari and Michel Salgado – worried about their former team with a scary scenario: nearly 90 minutes of playing with only 10 men.

2. But Real Madrid overcame that difficult situation with excellent ball control and game tempo, something they lacked in the opening match.

Under the rhythm of Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, then added Dani Ceballos and Luka Modric, "Los Blancos" neutralized Pachuca - the team was officially eliminated when they failed to take advantage of the extra man.

Real Madrid's ability to control the game with precise passes was truly outstanding.

Bellingham and Guler held the ball well and scored together. Photo: RMCF

“Los Blancos” showed that they were operating smoothly in some aspects, although it may not have been what Xabi Alonso expected most.

With 10 men Real Madrid tried to adjust the team's distance, measure the opponent's movement space and choose a position to raise the defense.

Although Tchouameni had to drop back to centre-back after seven minutes, the duo of Guler and Bellingham held the ball firmly. The white players controlled the risky midfield well.

Captain Valverde has always been the one to shine when the team needs him most. This time, he had an excellent performance, making up for the lack of numbers in midfield.

3. Even the young Gonzalo Garcia showed the understanding of the game of a seasoned player at a high level. He was always in the right place at the right time to create a way out of the pressing in the tight situations of a man down.

It was Gonzalo who dropped back into midfield to backheel the ball to Fran Garcia, leading to Bellingham 's classy opener after just over half an hour.

Before the end of the first half, Gonzalo assisted Guler to score the second goal with an extremely delicate return ball in the penalty area. With each pass, Real gradually broke Pachuca's excitement, but did not stop at lulling the match to sleep.

Gonzalo was active, indirectly participating in 2/3 goals. Photo: EFE

Real Madrid continued to accelerate, in the second half, when Brahim Diaz, Ceballos and Modric entered the field.

In the 70th minute, Brahim put the ball into the penalty area and Valverde made up for his missed penalty in the Al Hilal match with a precise finish.

Pachuca's reaction, when Montiel's shot hit Tchouameni's leg and changed direction, leaving Courtois helpless, was too late. By then, Real Madrid had completely controlled the match.

In his proactiveness, Alonso even gave Antonio Rudiger a few minutes to get used to the ball after returning from knee surgery.

Real Madrid stood firm thanks to their superior ball control when pushed into a corner. Alonso wants the same to be shown in the match against Red Bull Salzburg on the morning of June 27 (8am, Hanoi time).

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/real-madrid-thang-kich-tinh-pachuca-thuc-tinh-sau-tai-hoa-2414058.html