Al Hilal Takes Care of Business Against Pachuca
2-0 win, plus Real Madrid win, sees them through to the next round
Simultaneous kickoffs in group stage finales are probably one of the best things about high level soccer tournaments. The drama it can lead to as fans watch, not only the game their team is playing, but another game that has an impact on their team, is unique. Thursday night in Nashville was no different as Al Hilal was able to advance to the Round of 16 by virtue of their 2-0 win against Pachuca as well as Real Madrid’s win over Red Bull Salzburg in Philadelphia.
Coming into the game, Pachuca was already eliminated while Al Hilal was still alive. So, Al Hilal coming out on the front foot was expected, as not only did they need a win, but they also needed somebody in the Real Madrid/Red Bull Salzburg game to win as well. If that game finished in a tie and Al Hilal won, it would come down to goal difference as all three teams would have been level on five points.
Pachuca had the first chance of the game very early on as a shot whistled about three inches wide of the post. But after that, the Saudi side didn’t leave much to chance as they took the lead in the 22nd minute through a neat little looping shot from Al-Dawsari. Things began to look even better just before halftime as the score updates starting to make their way from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to the evenly split 14,147 fans in attendance at Geodis Park in Nashville: first Real Madrid scored to go up 1-0 and then they scored again to go up 2-0. Both announcements were met with raucous applause from the Al Hilal fans.
The second half was a relatively tame affair as Al Hilal looked to just see out the result and an already eliminated Pachuca didn’t really do much to make them sweat, save for one shot in the 83rd minute that had the Tuzos fans ready to erupt (though they did have one fantastic counterattack that might have been the goal of the tournament, had Pachuca not cleared it off the line at the last second). They were, however, able to add a second in stoppage time as Marcos Leonardo put the game on ice. Al Hilal’s reward for advancing to the Round of 16 is a date with the mighty Manchester City in Orlando on Monday while Real Madrid will face Juventus in Miami on Tuesday.