Real Madrid was pushed to the backfoot after it was held to a 1-1 draw with Saudi Pro League giant Al Hilal in their opening match of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in the United States on Wednesday.
A 2-1 win for FC Salzburg in the same group as Madrid meant that it was the Austrian side that leads the standings in Group H, the same as Madrid.
Karim Onisiwo scored a tiebreaking goal in the 76th minute to lead FC Salzburg to a 2-1 victory over CF Pachuca in a Club World Cup Group H game on Wednesday night.
Oscar Gloukh, a 21-year-old midfielder, scored in the 42nd minute for Salzburg in a game played in front of a crowd of 5,282 at TQL Stadium.
The game was delayed more than an hour after the start of the second half due to lightning in the area. When play resumed, Pachuca tied the game quickly on a goal by Bryan Gonzalez, barely a minute after play resumed.
Pachuca captain Salomon Rondón had a number of chances, including one that hit the edge of the crossbar in the 31st minute, but was ultimately saved by the 18-year-old goalie Christian Zawieschitzky, who was making his Salzburg debut.
When Salzburg substituted Onisiwo for Edmund Baidoo in the second half, he wound up scoring the winning goal.
What are the rules of knockout qualification in FIFA Club World Cup?
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockouts of FIFA Club World Cup 2025.
How can Real Madrid qualify for the knockouts?
Real Madrid is currently second in its group, level on points with Al Hilal, but higher due to its higher club ranking in the previous four-year period.
Pachuca, the runner-up in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup last year, is the only team without a point in the group.
For Madrid to qualify, it will have to avoid losses in both its next games, and hope Al Hilal drops points too. In case Simone Inzaghi’s side wins both matches, it will be extremely difficult for Los Blancos to make the cut to the next round.
(with inputs from AP)
