2-0! Asia s only escort qualifies! Riyadh Crescent defeated Pachuca and fought against Manchester City in the knockout stage!

Asian lion roars! Riyadh New Moon defeated Pachuca 2-0 and advanced to the Club World Cup knockout round

On June 27, the final game of the 2023 Club World Cup Group H came to an end. Saudi giant Riyadh Crescent beat Mexican powerhouse Pachuca with a refreshing 2-0 victory, and advanced to the knockout stage as the second in the group. In the next round, they will face Premier League overlord Manchester City, and an expected strong dialogue is about to be staged.

Looking back at this Club World Cup, Asian teams often play the role of "send points boys", however, Riyadh Crescent rewrites this stereotype with exciting games. This Saudi team with strong financial resources is at the top of the wave of the "gold-yuan football" era. They spent huge amounts of money to introduce a group of world-class stars and formed a powerful lineup that can compete with the world's top giants. In the group stage, they first tied with Real Madrid in the first round, showing their outstanding strength, and shook hands with Red Bull Salzburg in the second round, retaining hope for qualifying. In the final round against Pachuca who had been eliminated early, Riyadh Crescent was under the pressure of winning and they needed a victory to ensure advancement.

Finally, they did it! Riyadh Crescent played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Leonardo attacking with a single arrow on the front line, Milinkovic was in the front midfield, and the two wings were controlled by Dosari and Malcolm, who both had both speed and technology. The midfielder was also dominated by two strong men, Ruben Neves and N Dosari, forming a solid defense barrier. At the beginning of the game, Riyadh Crescent showed a strong desire to attack. In the 6th minute, Milinkovic scored a low shot in the penalty area, but unfortunately he was judged invalid due to a foul, and missed the opportunity to lead early. Since then, although the team has repeatedly created threats, Malcolm's several shots have not been converted into goals, and Pachuca's defense is also very tenacious.

However, fate favored this brave Asian team. In the 22nd minute, N Dosari made an accurate pass, and Davasari cleverly shot and scored on the left side of the penalty area, 1-0! This goal not only shocked everyone, but also ignited the fighting spirit of Riyadh Crescent. In the rest of the first half, the two sides continued to fight, and Paravesino's long shot almost equalized the score. Fortunately, Bunu's brave save in front of the goal resolved the crisis. Although Riyadh Crescent created more opportunities on the offensive end, Leonardo's header failed to hit the target, and both sides entered the break with a 1-0 score. In the second half, Riyadh Crescent continued to control the rhythm of the game, and their offensive threats continued to increase. In the final moment, Leonardo seized the opportunity and staged a good anti-offside show. He easily passed the goalkeeper and pushed the ball into the empty goal, locking the score at 2-0! In the end, Riyadh Crescent became the only Asian team to advance in this World Club World Cup with this exciting victory, writing a new chapter in Asian football.

Riyadh Crescent Starting Lineup: 37-Bunu; 20-Cancelo, 87-Tanbati, 3-Cullibali, 6-Lodi; 8-Ruben Neves, 16-Nasel Daousari; 77-Malcolm, 22-Millinkovic Savage, 29-Salem Savasari; 11-Marcos Leonardo.

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