Another Asencio mistake

New York Times

6 hours ago

The incident, which occurred in stoppage time, overshadowed Real Madrid's first win of the 2025 Club World Cup Getty Images
Antonio Rudiger was allegedly racially abused by Pachuca captain Gustavo Cabral in Real Madrid's 3-1 Club World Cup win earlier today.
Rudiger alerted referee Ramon Abatti to the alleged comment during second-half stoppage time and the match official subsequently performed FIFA's protocol gesture to signal alleged racial abuse.
Cabral denied making a racist comment, saying after the match: 'It was a fight, we collided, he said that I hit him with my hand and then there was an argument and the referee made the sign of racism. In Argentina we say 'cagon de mierda' (a profanity used to call someone a coward) all the time. I told him the same thing.'
Rudiger's representative says the Madrid defender rejects Cabral's explanation. The Athletic has contacted FIFA for comment.
Speaking earlier, Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said: 'Toni has told us something, the FIFA protocol is activated and an investigation is under way. We believe him. It is unacceptable.'
It came towards the end of the Spanish club's 3-1 win, with Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Fede Valverde scoring the goals after an early red card for Raul Asencio.
GO FURTHER
Real Madrid's Antonio Rudiger allegedly racially abused by Pachuca's Gustavo Cabral at Club World Cup Connections: Sports Edition Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Getty Images
The second match with a fatal intervention by Asencio.
In the first one against Al Hilal he conceded a penalty and this time he has been sent off in the eighth minute. Getty Images
9' Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
It was a silly error from Raul Asencio. Real Madrid were playing a very high line and right-back Luis Rodriguez swung a through ball over the top and into Salomon Rondon's path.
He was onside, played on by Garcia, with Asencio caught the wrong side and sprinting back desperately to recover.
Rondon cleverly took his run across the 22-year-old, who couldn't resist the temptation. He grabbed the shirt, put his arm on the striker's back, who gratefully took the contact and went down.
Foul, and as the last man and denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity, he is off. Right decision, even if there wasn't loads of contact.
Then Palavecino bends the free kick narrowly over the bar! Getty Images
7' Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
Drama! Raul Asencio is off!
He cannot believe it and is staying on the pitch for now but eventually has to trudge off the field.
Real Madrid are in trouble in Charlotte...
A lot of attention on Salomon Rondon for Pachuca, but it's also great to see Kenedy playing at this level, too.
He's had a strange career: the Brazilian was a star as a kid at Fluminense, never really cut it at Chelsea and went on five different loans before finally being solid to Real Valladolid in Spain.
He joined Pachuca on loan last month. Somehow, he's still only 29.
4' Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
Nice from Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose cute footwork sees him sidestep an opponent and then burst beyond Rondon.
A clear, cynical tug back of the shirt. Foul, but no yellow card.
Alexander-Arnold isn't happy. And I can see why. Getty Images
2' Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
Wow! Real Madrid nearly behind!
Pachuca play it through to Salomon Rondon, the 35-year-old Venezuelan veteran up front, but Raul Asencio does well to sprint back. He can only scuff it out for a corner.
It's well worked, blockers on the six-yard line stopping any defenders getting to the ball as it's aimed towards Rondon on the penalty spot.
He's got loads of space to volley it first-time, and it looked to be going in before a deflection took it narrowly wide! Getty Images
1' Real Madrid 0-0 Pachuca
Brazilian on Brazilian!
Real Madrid's press is fearsome so early on, Gonzalo Garcia nearly reaching an underweighted back pass, but Carlos Moreno just about scrambled it away.
Real won it back, Bellingham into Vinicius Junior, who tested Eduardo Bauermann down the outside... but Eduardo got his body in the way really well and bumped his compatriot so the ball went out for a goal kick. Getty Images
We are officially up and running in sunny Charlotte!
Real Madrid searching for their first win under new boss Xabi Alonso.
Pachuca looking for an almighty upset.
Let's go!
The players are now walking around the flat black strip separating them to shake hands before the match.
Pretty good crowd for a Sunday, to paraphrase Billy Joel, inside Bank of America Stadium. Getty Images
Player walk-outs underway.
Cannot believe Real Madrid are wearing thick black jackets considering the searing heat here in North Carolina.
The last thing you want on.
Not long at all until kick-off.
The countdown is on. Getty Images
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso spoke to Anita Jones on DAZN before the match. Here's what he had to say.
'After the draw in the last game, we know that in this sort of competition this one is a must-win game,' Alonso admitted. 'We have tried to prepare, focusing on the positives from the last game.
'It's going to be intense but for sure the goal is to get three points. Now we're focusing on this Club World Cup. A few things have changed, but the goal is the same, to go as far as possible.
'Not many changes (to the starting XI) but we want to have a good balance, with and without the ball. We want good control, we have got good feet, so we and we don't want them to lose the ball easily and make plays.' Getty Images
Real Madrid have a job to do tonight against Pachuca but you can't blame them for looking beyond the group stage at their potential opponents in the knock-outs.
Both the Spanish giants and German club Borussia Dortmund are on the same side of the draw meaning that, depending on where they finish in their respective groups, they could meet down the line in the knock-out phase.
If that happens, we'll be treated to a meeting of Jude and Jobe in a Bellingham brothers clash as the latter began his Dortmund career with his debut here at the Club World Cup.
Could they both end up at Real Madrid one day?
GO FURTHER
Mamelodi Sundowns 3 Borussia Dortmund 4 – Did Bellingham impress on full debut? Was Ribeiro's the goal of the tournament?
Arda Guler's inclusion in the Madrid XI pretty clearly related to how Madrid struggled to control possession and construct moves against Al Hilal. As they have ever since Toni Kroos retired last summer.
Various pundits have pointed out that Guler had more interventions (55) in the play than Bellingham (52) in Wednesday's first Club World Cup game, even though Guler entered at half-time and the Englishman played 83 minutes.
A question at yesterday's press conference about whether Xabi Alonso the coach would like to have Alonso the player available to him, was dodged with characteristic intelligence by the new Madrid coach.
'The challenge now is for the midfield to function well with the players we have,' he said.
When asked if there was 'anxiety' to play better at Madrid after the 1-1 opener, the Basque replied: 'I've not seen that, I've seen people wanting to improve and to participate in the process of doing things differently with new ideas.' Getty Images
FIFA gave its 32 competing teams a billion reasons to take a revamped Club World Cup seriously when announcing its monstrous prize pot back in March, with a potential $125million for the winner.
The empty seats at many stadiums, and patchy quality of the football, may have sparked some barbed comments, but to the clubs involved, this is a brand-building moment and a chance to spark growth.
'I know first-hand the clubs competing in the Club World Cup are hugely supportive of it. They see it as a major opportunity,' Phil Carling, head of football at marketing agency Octagon, tells The Athletic .
'Talent follows money, eyeballs follow talent, and money follows eyeballs.' This Club World Cup, for all its detractors, is a big step towards more.
That's why the tournament matters to the participating clubs. Getty Images
At least sartorially.
A vibe.
There is a former Premier League cult hero spearheading Pachuca's attack.
At the ripe old age of 35, former West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United and Everton striker Salomon Rondon is still banging in the goals in Mexico, having joined Pachuca in early 2024.
With 22 league goals since joining — 14 this season — Rondon is comfortably the leading goalscorer in the Pachuca squad and is showing no signs of stopping. In truth, Pachuca are not coming into the tournament in red-hot form.
After just three wins in the first half of the 17-game regular season, Pachuca battled to eighth spot in Mexico's Liga MX Clausura (second half of the season) to make the play-offs, before losing against Club America in the quarter-final.
Realistically, Pachuca will not be expected to qualify from such a tricky group this summer, especially after losing their tournament opener, but do not be surprised if Rondon manages to get on the scoresheet somewhere along the way.
Kylian Mbappe is still ruled out through illness for Madrid, but there is good news on the bench.
Centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who last played in the Copa del Rey final on April 26 and then had a knee operation, is back available.
Getting him back out on the pitch would be really useful for Xabi Alonso, especially further into the tournament, given how shaky the defence looked in the opener against Al Hilal.
It would also potentially open up other tactical options, such as playing with three centre-backs.