Al Hilal beat Pachuca 2-0 to reach Club World Cup last 16
Al Hilal
advanced to the knockout stage of the
FIFA Club World Cup
with a 2-0 win over
Pachuca
on Thursday, clinching second place in Group H behind
Real Madrid
.
The victory, their first of the tournament, earned the Saudi giants a last-16 showdown with
Manchester City
on Monday in Orlando.
Captain
Salem Al-Dawsari
opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with a composed finish, receiving a lofted pass from fellow homegrown talent Nasser Al-Dawsari and delicately lifting the ball over Pachuca goalkeeper Sebastian Jurado. Despite boasting a squad full of international stars, it was the Saudi duo who combined for the breakthrough.
— FIFACWC (@FIFACWC)
Al Hilal controlled much of the match, but were occasionally careless, especially in the second half, allowing Pachuca to create a few nervy moments.
Kalidou Koulibaly
led the defense superbly, limiting Pachuca's threats and keeping striker Salomon Rondon quiet throughout.
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Marcos Leonardo
missed a golden opportunity in the 83rd minute after being played in by a slick passing move, but he redeemed himself deep into stoppage time. Set up by
Ruben Neves
, the Brazilian forward rounded Jurado and calmly slotted into an empty net to seal the win.
— FIFACWC (@FIFACWC)
Pachuca, already eliminated after two previous losses, showed fight but were restricted to long-range efforts and half chances. Illian Hernandez nearly pulled one back with a late header that flew just wide.
Al Hilal finished the group with five points, edging
Red Bull Salzburg
, and will now prepare for a much tougher test against European champions Manchester City.
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