Oscar Gloukh, Karim Onisiwo lead Red Bull Salzburg past Pachuca, spoil Jaime Lozano’s managerial debut at Club World Cup

Pachuca’s Club World Cup campaign got off to a rough start on Wednesday night, as Jaime Lozano’s managerial debut ended in a 2-1 defeat to Red Bull Salzburg at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. The result puts the Mexican side in a difficult position in Group H, with European giants Real Madrid and Saudi club Al Hilal still to come.

While the match was tightly contested and Pachuca arguably didn’t deserve to lose, football rarely rewards effort alone. The Tuzos played toe-to-toe with the Austrian side from start to finish, and nearly opened the scoring in the 30th minute when Salomón Rondón’s powerful header hit the post, only to be miraculously tipped away by Salzburg keeper Christian Zawieschitzky.

That missed opportunity would come back to haunt them. In the 42nd minute, Salzburg’s Oscar Gloukh unleashed a stunning strike from outside the box to beat Carlos Moreno and give the Austrians a 1-0 lead.

Pachuca came out stronger in the second half and had a golden chance to equalize when Rondón found himself one-on-one with the keeper in the 51st minute—but failed to convert.

Just minutes later, in the 55th minute, the match was suspended due to severe weather in the Cincinnati area and didn’t resume until nearly 90 minutes later. When play restarted, Pachuca struck quickly. In the 56th minute, Bryan González scored a well-placed free-kick to level the match at 1-1.

But Salzburg had the final word. In the 76th minute, Karim Onisiwo rose above the defense and buried a header to restore the lead, leaving Moreno with no chance.

Despite the loss, Pachuca showed moments of quality and created enough chances to win. However, their lack of finishing proved costly. The defeat is particularly bitter considering the Tuzos recruited heavily to be competitive in the tournament.

With one foot already out of the competition, Pachuca now faces a must-win match against Real Madrid this Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Without a positive result, their Club World Cup journey could come to a premature end.

Pachuca have lost six of the ten matches it has played in their Club World Cup history. During the match, the Tuzos registered 16 total shots compared to nine from the Austrian side, and goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky was the hero of the game, making five key saves from other shots on goal by the Mexican side. In seven Club World Cup matches, no Latin American team had lost - until the Tuzos ended that streak.

Lozano’s side will face Real Madrid in their next Club World Cup match this Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.