Al Hilal secured a confident 2-0 win over Mexican side Pachuca on Thursday night to book their place in the Al Hilal Club World Cup round of 16. The game, played at Geodis Park in Nashville, drew 14,147 fans and saw goals from Salem Aldawsari and Marcos Leonardo.
The scoring began in the 22nd minute when Aldawsari, attacking from the left, saw the ball bounce off his right foot and arc over the head of Pachuca goalkeeper Sebastián Jurado into the right side of the net. The clever finish gave Al Hilal an early lead and helped settle the rhythm of the match in their favor.
Pachuca kept pushing to stay alive in the tournament, but their efforts were shut down late in the game. In the final minute of extra time, Marcos Leonardo broke away, dribbled past Jurado with precision, and sent in a clean left-footed finish to seal the result. It was his first goal of the tournament and came at a perfect time to confirm Al Hilal Club World Cup advancement.
With the win, Al Hilal became the only team outside Europe or the Americas to move on from the group stage. They join Real Madrid, who earlier defeated RB Salzburg 3-0, as the second team to qualify from Group H. Pachuca, on the other hand, end their campaign winless.
Al Hilal’s next challenge will be against English giants Manchester City on Monday in Orlando, Florida — a key match that will test their strength as Al Hilal Club World Cup contenders.
Speaking after the game, Al Hilal midfielder Rúben Neves said, “These are not easy games, and we are in the FIFA Club World Cup so every team that is here they have potential. It was a hard game…so clean sheet and the win and we are through. That’s the most important.”
Salem Aldawsari also reflected on his contribution, saying, “Every player wants to score, my goal was ambitious, and scoring was the cherry on top.”
