There was a moment in the 28th minute, here in the stifling heat of North Carolina, when Jude Bellingham absolutely lost it at Arda Guler for losing the ball.
With Real Madrid down to ten men against Pachuca after Raul Asencio’s early sending off, they were under the cosh against the Mexican side, with a certain Salomon Rondon causing all sorts of problems and the frustrations were beginning to boil over.
It was a staggering watch as Xabi Alonso’s side were totally out of sync and looked lost against a side that finished eighth in the Mexican league last season.
For much of the first half hour, the 20-year-old Guler was on the back end of Bellingham’s anger and yet by the break, Madrid were two goals ahead thanks to Bellingham and Guler, with Trent Alexander-Arnold playing a major part in Guler’s goal too.
For Alonso, it was an early indicator of the personalities that he will have to manage here but also an ample reminder of the devastating quality his players possess.
Alonso doesn’t need telling about what it takes to succeed at Real Madrid. The 43-year-old played for the club between 2009 and 2014 and knows first-hand about the weight of expectation and the influence that certain individuals can have for Los Blancos.
Jude Bellingham gave Real Madrid the lead after the side had been reduced to 10 men in the seventh minute
Xabi Alonso’s reign has not got off to as smooth as start as he would have wished but his side recovered from their early setback well in Charlotte
Trent Alexander-Arnold played a major role in Real Madrid second goal, scored by Arda Guler
In his early days here, he’ll be aware too that how he deals with the likes of Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr amongst others will be inevitably integral to his own success.
On the eve of this clash, Alonso praised Guler, saying, ‘He’s one of those players who must be close to the ball. He’s one player that is special because the more touches he has, the better he will play and the better the team plays.’
Guler, like Bellingham, is a magnificent talent and Alonso, who wants to increase his gametime, will know that to get the best out of the Turkish international, he must be allowed to flourish.
As for Trent Alexander-Arnold, this was an assured display, both in defence and in attack as the full-back regularly came into the middle of the pitch and was heavily involved with the ball.
‘He has done it at Liverpool and in the national team. He is a different full-back, not just from the outside lane. He can go inside a little bit and associate. What happens around is important. We have to work on it, but having his foot and his understanding of the game is very positive,’ Alonso said pre-match.
His fizzing ball across goal in the lead up to Guler’s goal will do wonders for his confidence after a shaky start to life against Al-Hilal and all in all, he showed glimpses of his class with the way he dribbled out from the back and held his own, defensively. When he was replaced in the 78th minute, the applause and the smiles summed it up.
Charlotte was a sea of white on Sunday, with Madrid fans wherever you went. They had travelled from all over the States and beyond to catch a rare glimpse of their stars.
On the resale market, tickets were going for around $300 and the punters patiently queued for hours in the sweltering heat. They waited, knowing what was at the other end.
On the eve of this clash, Alonso praised Guler, saying, ‘He’s one of those players who must be close to the ball’
Trent Alexander-Arnold produced an assured display, both in defence and in attack against Pachuca
It is early doors of course but Alonso will be hoping for some of that patience too.
After two unconvincing displays against Al-Hilal and Pachuca, albeit in extremely difficult conditions, there is very little of the rock and roll that Alonso has spoken about.
In fairness, this is a side in desperate need of a few weeks off. For context, here was Jude Bellingham in his 61st match of the never-ending 2024-25 season while the likes of Mbappe, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy alongside others were all out.
When the players did their individual entrances ten minutes before kick-off, the Madrid players were ludicrously made to keep their jackets on.
They started like they were playing with jackets too, with Rondon initially too hot to handle as he fired wide on the half volley from a corner.
In the seventh minute, Dean Huijsen played Rondon onside and Raul Asencio was sent off after he pulled the 35-year-old down just outside the box.
Agustin Palavecino fired the resulting free-kick wide but Pachuca really should have taken the lead shortly after, with Thibaut Courtois rescuing Madrid with a fine double save.
First, Kenedy’s effort was parried out before Courtois kept out the rebound from Alan Bautista.
The Bank of America was a sea of white for the visit of Real Madrid on Sunday afternoon
Federico Valverde capped off an outstanding performance with the third goal for the LaLiga giants
Madrid were all over the place but the cooling break around the half-hour mark seemed to be the turning point as Alonso rallied his troops.
Bellingham combined with Fran Garcia to give Madrid the lead with a wonderful left-footed finish before Alexander-Arnold teed up Gonzalo Garcia, who set up Guler for Madrid’s second.
Federico Valverde added a third in the 70th minute but there was time for Elias Montiel to pull one back for Pachuca, with ten minutes to go.
It was the least they deserved as they peppered Thibaut Courtois’s goal, with 25 shots and 11 on target, but lacked that clinical edge. For Alonso, it was a first win as Madrid boss but again, a performance that left more questions than answers.
