And Real Madrid decaffeinated tied 2-2 against Mexico’s Club América in the whites’ second game on the Soccer Champions Tour through the United States.
The eagles and the battering ram began very connected Henry Martin he converted the first goal of the match at will after refusing a shot by Miguel Layún in the 5th minute. Real Madrid had a hard time getting the ball played and when they reached three quarters of the field they found Benzema, Asensio and Vinícius together in a few meters and facilitating the defense of America. And the thing is that the first ten minutes were played by Fernando Ortiz’s team, whose men linked up good combinations and even ‘olés’ were heard in the stands.
Uruguayan winger Federico Viñas and Mexican midfielder Alejandro Zendejas were a headache for Nacho and Rüdiger, with very comfortable arrivals from the 10th lane while Casemiro took a long time to recover his position. Madrid could not shake off the pressure from América that even put the meringues in danger with some counterattack until in the 22nd minute, Karim Benzema He placed a very tight shot from outside the area to the left post of ‘Memo’ Ochoa to tie the game. The Frenchman, who was playing his first preseason game, tried to spur on the team and was seen haranguing Asensio and Vinícius Jr. to add more intensity to the game. He set an example and in the 40th minute he sent a higher shot into the side of the net that threatened to be his second goal of the night.
The last 20 minutes of the first half were dominated by the Whites who, at half throttle, were able to put America’s defense in a tight spot thanks to various approaches led by Benzema and directed by Kroos in the engine room. In addition, the defense was more solvent and in triangulations of two or three passes after recoveries in midfield, Benzema found himself in clear situations against central defenders Emilio Lara and Sebastián Cáceres.
Madrid went to Oracle Park in the second half with many changes. Militao, Alaba, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Ceballos, Valverde, Rodrygo and Hazard were chosen in what seemed like a clear message to Mariano, with whom Ancelotti does not count.
In the second half, Madrid accumulated many men in midfield and complicated the transitions to America with the superiority generated by the association between Tchouameni, Camavinga, Valverde and Ceballos. In one of those, a driving start by Hazard in the 54th minute led to a semi-miss opening wide for Lucas Vázquez that ended up causing Reyes gave him a penalty in a clear blunder error. Hazard He took the ball and converted it.
After being traced back, the Mexican team also opted to refresh the team and incorporate seven new substitutions, including Álvaro Fidalgo, a footballer trained in the lower categories of Real Madrid. However, the Spanish team managed to consolidate themselves in the game, limit the rival’s chances of danger and reach the Eagles’ area very comfortably with Ceballos and Camavinga inspired and covering a large field. Until in an isolated play in the 80th minute, Vinícius Tobías committed a penalty y gentleman took the ball to shoot. Lunin saved the first shot and the rebound but the referee ordered it to be repeated and, although he was about to repeat the save, the ball ended up going in for the ex-Madridista to level the scoreboard.
In the closing stages of the match, the two teams did not have great chances to reverse the tie and Madrid will play their last Soccer Champions Soccer match against Juventus (July 30) to try to win the first pre-season match.
Datasheet
2. Real Madrid: A. Monday; Lucas Vazquez (V. Tobias, 66), Nacho (E. Militao, 46), A. Rüdiger (Vallejo, 60), F. Mendy (Praise, 46); Casemiro (Tchouameni, 6), Luka Modric (D. Ceballos, 46), Toni Kroos (E. Camavinga, 46); Marco Asensio (F. Valverde, m. 46), Karim Benzema (E. Hazard, m. 46), Vinicius Jr. (Mr. 46). Coach: Carlo Ancelotti.
2. Club America: Guillermo Ochoa (O. Jiménez, d. 32); J. Sánchez, E. Lara, S. Cáceres, M. Layún (Fidalgo, m. 60); P. Aquino (Damm, m. 60), J. Dos Santos (Valdés, m. 60); A. Zendejas (R. Sánchez, m. 60), F. Viñas (D. Valdez, m. 60), M. Reyes (R. Martínez, m. 60); H. Martin (J. Rodriguez, d. 60). Trainer: Fernando Ortiz
goals: 0-1 m. 5: H. Martín; 1-1 m. 22: Karim Benzema; 2-1 m. 54: E. Hazard (pen.); 2-2 m. 82: A. Fidalgo.
Referee: Joseph Dickerson. He admonished Casemiro (m. 35) and Ceballos (m. 52).
incidents: Friendly match corresponding to the Soccer Champions Tour between Real Madrid and Club América that was played at Oracle Park in San Francisco (USA) before 40,630 spectators.
Bitter debut of Vinicius Tobias
the brazilian Vinicius Tobias debuted this Wednesday with the first team and was the negative protagonist after committing the penalty that meant the final 2-2. The footballer, only 18 years old, came to the discipline of the white team to belong to Castilla, the first Real Madrid affiliate trained by Raúl González Blanco, on April 1 from Shakhtar Donetsk. The difficult situation in Ukraine after the invasion of the country by Russia caused the departure of many footballers, and one of them was Vinicius Tobias. Real Madrid took notice of the Brazilian, a U-16 international with his country, and signed him on loan until June 30, 2023 with a purchase option until that date with the intention of putting him to the test at Castilla.
Under the orders of Raúl, he made his debut on April 17 after two weeks of adaptation to the capital of Spain after having to spend time in a bunker after the war broke out. Four games and 209 minutes with the first madridista subsidiary, with the season now in its final stretch, for a player in whom hopes are pinned on the club in the face of exponential growth this season after losing his caution and introverted attitude towards the one that arrived, and in which they trust his reading when joining the attack and good ball touch for the centers to give good minutes to Raúl’s team. These characteristics made Carlo Ancelotti count on the Brazilian for the preseason and, finally, this Wednesday his debut took place. Vinicius Tobias came on in place of Lucas Vázquez and overtook Álvaro Odriozola, with a first team record, who, despite the absence of Dani Carvajal due to injury in the first two preseason games, has only played 20 minutes. However, his debut could not end well as he committed a penalty in the 80th minute on Álvaro Fidalgo, who was a Real Madrid youth squad, and he was responsible for tying the game from eleven meters.
Benzema, as if he hadn’t left
The French Karim Benzema He changed the face of Real Madrid in the friendly, adding in the first half with his mere presence the offensive force that the white team longed for in last Sunday’s classic against Barcelona (0-1). “Benzema is the best player in the world, it’s clear that when he’s not there we’re missing something. There’s no one in the world who can replace Karim”, assured Carlo Ancelotti after the criticism after the first pre-season game in which his team met was left without shooting on goal.
Neither Eden Hazard as a false ‘9’, who did score a penalty against América, nor Mariano Díaz could make us forget, even for a few moments, the absence of Benzema, who enjoyed more vacation days and joined the season late, against Barcelona. An encounter that fueled the debate on whether Real Madrid should sign a center forward for when the French striker cannot play, although Ancelotti, in tune with the club, assured that his squad was closed in terms of incorporations; And except for a change in the last month of the market in which there are soccer players like Marco Asensio, Mariano Díaz and Borja Mayoral with their future in the air, that’s how it will be.
For the time being, Benzema has been in charge of demonstrating on the pitch that, as long as he is there, the Whites will have no problems in attack. Two months since his last game, the first friendly of the preseason, less training than the rest… but Karim once again made a difference. It only took him 22 minutes to find the goal in a play that defines him as a footballer. He walled with Asensio at the left corner of the area and with a shot, which was more of a soft pass to the net, he beat ‘Memo’ Ochoa at the far post.
Already in the 41st minute he was about to sign one of the goals of the preseason. At the edge of the area, he slipped between two defenders passing the ball between his feet and shot hard looking for the left corner of the Club América goal, but the ball did not take the expected final thread and crashed on the side of the goal.
Life goes on the same for Benzema and for Real Madrid. The French striker proved again that he is essential in just 45 minutes. And he wanted more. Acting as captain, he protested to the referee every loss of time by the Mexican team and complained effusively about the little time added in the first half after which he was aware that he was going to leave the field of play. However, the decision was obviously firm and his next appearance, barring setbacks, will be this Sunday against Juventus, when Ancelotti will initially propose the starting eleven he has in mind for the European Super Cup on August 10 in Helsinki. (Finland) against Eintracht Frankfurt.
