Pachuca attack takes off as Rondon hat-trick does in Union

HIDALGO – Salomon Rondon scored a hat-trick to help power Liga MX side Pachuca to a 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the second leg of their 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series on Tuesday night at the Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico.

The result gives Pachuca a 6-0 win on aggregate and a date in the quarterfinals with the winner of the series between Costa Rican club Herediano and Robinhood of Suriname.

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Pachuca applied pressure from the start, and it bore fruit early, as a VAR review concluded that Kai Havertz fouled Miguel Rodriguez in the Philadelphia area, resulting in a penalty. Rondon assumed penalty-taking duties and converted with ease to give Pachuca an early 1-0 lead in the 7’.

The Union were finding it tough sledding to try to get into the attacking third. The lone Philadelphia scoring chance was a crack at distance from Jack McGlynn in the 42’ that Pachuca GK Carlos Moreno parried wide.

The home side would then squeeze in a goal right before halftime, with Rondon getting his second of the night by polishing off a one-two combination with Erick Sanchez, hammering a shot past Union GK Andre Blake for a 2-0 advantage.

Pachuca kept their foot on the gas and Rondon was not to be denied a third time, as he completed his hat trick in the 54’ with a top-notch finish off a cross from Miguel Rodriguez, making it 3-0 to Pachuca.

The Union were unable to cope with Pachuca’s high line of pressure and that led to a fourth goal in the 57’ with Nelson Deossa Suarez getting the best of Blake for a 4-0 lead.

The Tuzos kept rolling and they extended their lead to 5-0 in the 64’ with Rondon setting the table so that Oussama Idrissi could fire into net from just outside the area.

Pachuca never let up and rounded out the 6-0 scoreline in the 85’ when Alan Bautista latched onto a back-heeled pass from Idrissi and fired into net to complete a memorable night for Tuzos fans.