Real Madrid secured their first victory of the 2025 Club World Cup with a 3-1 win over Pachuca, but one player’s performance has drawn criticism from supporters.
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Jude Bellingham, Arda Güler, and Federico Valverde all found the net in a dominant display that lifted Xabi Alonso’s side to the top of Group H. ..Continue Reading
The win came as a strong response to their earlier 1-1 draw with Al Hilal, where Valverde missed a stoppage-time penalty.
Despite being reduced to ten men early on, Madrid’s goals were the result of fluid, well-executed team play.
Just seven minutes in, Salomón Rondón was through on goal when Raúl Asencio brought him down, resulting in a straight red card for denying a clear scoring chance without attempting a tackle.
Asencio, who has partnered Dean Huijsen in central defense during the tournament due to Antonio Rüdiger’s ongoing recovery, has now been involved in two costly fouls—having conceded a penalty in the previous match against Al Hilal for dragging down Marcos Leonardo.
His repeated errors have left many Madrid fans frustrated with his performances.
One wrote: “People can stop pretending Asencio is anything more than a fourth choice CB at best.”
A second said: “Asencio doesn’t seem to have the intelligence and composure to be a long-term starter option for Real Madrid.”
A third added: “Asencio’s time in the Xabi Alonso era is over.”
While a fourth stated: “Asencio really needs to calm down, you can’t keep committing like that.”
Being a man down forced Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois into action, making 10 crucial saves that earned him the Man of the Match honors.
They now head into their final group stage clash with RB Salzburg needing just a draw to guarantee a spot in the Club World Cup round of 16.
