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Al-Hilal Through to Club World Cup Last 16 with 2-0 Win over Pachuca
Saudi powerhouse Al-Hilal advanced to the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stage after defeating Pachuca of Mexico 2-0 in the final round of Group H at the Geodis Park stadium in Nashville on Friday.
Captain Salem Al-Dawsari opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with an exquisite finish over Pachuca's goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado, while Brazilian hitman Marcos Leonardo sealed the victory with a goal in the fifth minute of injury time, rounding the keeper.
With this win, Al-Hilal moved to second place in the group, earning five points, trailing behind leaders Real Madrid, who beat RB Salzburg 3-0, and are just one point ahead of the Austrian team, while Pachuca remain winless at the bottom of the group, with no points.
Al-Hilal, the only team from outside Europe and the Americas to advance from the group stage, will face English Premier League giants Manchester City in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday. Disallowed goal and Al-Dawsari's Exquisite Finish
Al-Hilal started the match on the front foot, dominating possession early on, with midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic nearly put his side ahead with a powerful strike after five minutes. However, referee Danny Makkelie disallowed the goal due to an aggressive challenge in the build-up.
The breakthrough arrived in the 22nd minute when Nasser Al-Dawsari delivered a precision pass. Salem Al-Dawsari, fresh from last season's 30 Saudi Pro League goals, lifted the ball over goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado.
Al-Hilal nearly doubled their lead nine minutes before halftime. However, Marcos Leonardo, who scored 17 goals last season, headed the ball over the bar from close range. Second Half and Late Goal
Pachuca showed some improvement in the second half and tested Al-Hilal's goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in the 56th minute. Bounou, who had saved a 92nd-minute penalty from Federico Valverde in Al-Hilal's group opener against Real Madrid, did well to save Salomon Rondon's powerful shot on the second attempt.
Despite making four substitutions, Pachuca failed to trouble Bounou for the rest of the match, with Al-Hilal seeming content to maintain possession and see out the game.
However, Al-Hilal added a second goal deep into stoppage time after Marcos Leonardo timed his run perfectly to beat the offside trap, received a pass from Ruben Neves, rounded the goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado, and scored into an empty net.
The victory sets up an exciting quarterfinal match against Manchester City, who have a perfect record in the tournament, with the winner of that match will face either Inter Milan or Fluminense in the semifinals.
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