Red Bull Salzburg ascended to the summit of Group H at the FIFA Club World Cup following a 2-1 triumph over Pachuca in a match marred by challenging weather conditions at TQL Stadium.
Pachuca had the first significant attempt just 10 minutes in, with Christian Zawieschitzky making a crucial save from captain Salomón Rondon’s shot at a tight angle in the Salzburg goal. The 18-year-old debutant also denied Elias Montiel shortly before Pachuca enjoyed a spell of dominance midway through the half, although they failed to trouble goalkeeper Carlos Moreno.
On the half-hour mark, Rondon came close to breaking the deadlock again, only for Zawieschitzky to expertly tip his header onto the crossbar.
Five minutes later, some Mexican supporters were cheering as Agustín Palavecino’s volley skimmed just past the wrong side of the net. Meanwhile, Israeli international Oscar Gloukh continued to apply pressure on the Pachuca defence, first shooting over the bar in the 40th minute before elegantly slipping past a defender at the edge of the box and curling a stunning effort into the corner to give his team the lead going into halftime.
Zawieschitzky’s evening took a turn for the better six minutes into the second half when he thwarted Rondon in a one-on-one situation, although the striker made it rather straightforward for the Salzburg keeper.
Just 10 minutes after the resumption, the match was halted for an hour and a half due to inclement weather in the Cincinnati area. However, upon the game’s restart, Pachuca equalised in spectacular fashion. Bryan Gonzalez curled a free kick from the right edge of the penalty area into the near bottom corner, catching the previously impressive Zawieschitzky off guard, perhaps anticipating a cross instead.
As the rain continued to pour, the goal revitalised Jaime Lozano’s men, with substitute John Kennedy causing concerns for the Austrian defence.
Nevertheless, a tactical change by Thomas Letsch turned the tide back in Salzburg’s favour with a quarter of an hour left. Captain Mads Bidstrup advanced and delivered a floating ball from the right, which Karim Onisiwo headed down into the bottom corner.
The Mexican side pressed hard for another equaliser, but it ultimately eluded them, allowing Salzburg to capitalise on Real Madrid’s dropped points earlier in the day.
_______________________________________________
Sponsored:
FIFA Club World Cup – Every Game Free, exclusively on DAZN.
Sign up here to start streaming.
_______________________________________________
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
Fanpage: SportArena.com.au.
LiveScore – Live Sports Results & Odds.
