Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler struck late in the first half to guide 10-man Real Madrid to a 3–1 victory over CF Pachuca in a Group H clash played under sweltering conditions on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Federico Valverde added a third with a well-taken sliding volley in the 70th minute, sealing Xabi Alonso’s first win as Real Madrid manager. The result puts Los Blancos' FIFA Club World Cup campaign back on course following a dramatic 1–1 draw against Al-Hilal in their opening fixture on Wednesday—despite being reduced to ten men early on after the dismissal of defender Raúl Asencio.

Real Madrid (1-0-1, 4 points) can secure a place in the last 16 with a win or draw against RB Salzburg on Thursday in Philadelphia. Al-Hilal face Salzburg later on Sunday in Washington.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was instrumental in the victory, making 10 saves. However, he could do little to prevent Elias Montiel’s deflected strike in the 80th minute, which served as a late consolation for Pachuca (0-2-0, 0 points), who have now been eliminated from the competition.

Despite the defeat, the Mexican side dominated statistically, registering 25 shots to Madrid’s eight, and 11 on target compared to Madrid’s three. Yet, as in their 2–1 loss to Salzburg midweek, they were ultimately undone by the superior clinical quality of their opponents.

The match turned dramatic early on when referee Ramon Abatti Abel showed no hesitation in issuing a straight red card to Asencio in the seventh minute for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. The Madrid defender had pulled down Salomón Rondón just outside the penalty area.

Madrid weathered sustained pressure during the opening half-hour before striking twice in quick succession to take control of the match.

In the 35th minute, Gonzalo García’s intelligent flick-on released Fran García down the left flank. Fran’s well-placed square pass found Bellingham, whose composed low finish from 15 yards nestled into the bottom corner past Carlos Moreno.

Eight minutes later, Real doubled their lead with another fluid attacking move. Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a pinpoint first-time cross, which eventually found its way to Gonzalo García. The midfielder squared the ball across goal for Arda Güler to calmly finish from inside the box.

Pachuca continued to push forward after the break, forcing Courtois into action again. The Belgian shot-stopper tipped Bryan González’s powerful strike over the bar early in the second half and was untroubled by John Kennedy’s speculative long-range effort in the 61st minute.

Madrid extended their lead midway through the second half when Valverde met a low cross with a sliding volley to make it 3–0, putting the match beyond Pachuca’s reach.

Though Montiel's deflected effort gave Pachuca a late goal, it proved too little, too late, as Real Madrid collected a vital three points to stay in contention for progression.