WASHINGTON (AFP) – Reigning Champions League and La Liga champion Real Madrid concluded a pre-season US tour yesterday with a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea while AC Milan won on penalties after playing Barcelona to a 2-2 draw.
There were 62,617 spectators at the home stadium of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina to watch Vinicius Junior make his first start in the warm-up matches for Real Madrid’s La Liga opener in 12 days.
Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos knocked a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner in the 19th minute to give Real a 1-0 lead.
Brahim Diaz fired in a left-footed kick from a difficult angle in the 27th minute to double the Spanish side’s lead, sliding the ball from the left just inside the backline and across the empty goal into the far right side.
English striker Noni Madueke answered in the 39th minute with a header from the right side of the six-yard box, but Chelsea could not manage an equaliser.
In the other club friendly match, AC Milan and Barcelona played to a 2-2 draw in Baltimore before the Italian side won 4-3 on penalties.
Luka Jovic scored in the 10th minute off an assist from Christian Pulisic, and Pulisic himself scoring from a difficult angle in the 15th minute from the left side into the top right corner to give the Italian side a 2-0 edge.
Poland’s Robert Lewandowski answered for Barcelona in the 22nd minute and netted the equaliser in the 58th minute.
