Pachuca head coach Jamie Lozano has asserted that his side needed to be more clinical against Real Madrid on Sunday, June 22. The two sides faced off in the FIFA Club World Cup group stage at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Pachuca had the perfect start to the game as Raul Asencio was sent off in the seventh minute for a last-man tackle on Salomon Rondon. They also created several chances but couldn’t capitalize on them, as they lost 3-1. Thibaut Courtois made a whopping 10 saves for Los Blancos.

After the game, Pachunca head coach Jamie Lozano said (via GOAL):

“You leave feeling heated because chances like this don’t come around that often for Mexican teams. We believed we had a shot; we prepared, and this was our chance. You have to kill Madrid off when you get them – they can turn it at any moment.”

Pachuca striker Salomon Rondon was equally disappointed and didn’t mince his words, saying:

“We lacked personality – real character to build play, create chances, even entering midfield. They dropped back, and their striker often dropped into midfield. Their defensive organization was spot-on, they took their chances, and we didn’t. Too many lapses cost us.”

As per SofaScore, Pachuca had 25 attempts, with 11 being on target, as compared to Real Madrid‘s eight attempts, with three being on target.

Xabi Alonso on all 3 Real Madrid goals coming from midfield against Pachuca

Xabi Alonso started with a midfield of Aurelien Tchouameni, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham against Pachuca, with Arda Guler drifting in from the right wing. However, after Asencio’s red card, Guler went into midfield as well.

Incidentally, the three Real Madrid goals came from Bellingham (35′), Guler (43′), and Valverde (70′). When asked about goals coming from midfield, Alonso said in his post-match press conference (via Managing Madrid):

“I’m not going to take credit for that. But we did talk about it during the cooling break. They have the quality and their finishing is fantastic. It was a difficult situation. We were disciplined and controlled the game without the ball. The goals gave us confidence. It’s a victory that strengthens us.”

Real Madrid now sit atop Group H in the FIFA Club World Cup despite drawing 1-1 against Al-Hilal in their first game. They are tied on points with second-placed Red Bull Salzburg, whom they will next face on Thursday, June 26.