In their final preseason match in the United States, Real Madrid concluded their US tour on a high note. On Tuesday (6th), in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Merengue faced Chelsea and won 2-1.
With this result, the Merengue achieved their first victory in the series of friendlies, after losing to Milan and Barcelona. Now, the Spaniards return to Europe, where they will play their first official match of the 2024/25 season against Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup final, in Warsaw, Poland, next Wednesday (14th).
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As for the Blues, they have suffered their fourth setback in five preseason games so far this summer. Their only win was against América-MEX with a score of 3-0. The English team will also return home, but before the season starts, they will face Inter Milan at Stamford Bridge in another friendly match.
Regarding the teams, Real Madrid fielded some of their key players, with Brazilians Vinicius Jr./, Rodrygo, and Éder Militão starting. Endrick was included in the squad, started on the bench, but was not called upon this time by coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Chelsea also played with several starters, including Enzo Fernández, Nkunku, and Raheem Sterling.
How the friendly went
On the field, Real Madrid showed no fear of Chelsea and opened the scoring “naturally”, without even forcing much.
In the 19th minute, after a beautiful counterattack set up by Rodrygo, the ball fell to Lucas Vázquez, who shot in the area. It deflected and ended up with Ceballos, who slid in to push it over the line.
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As has happened several times in the preseason, the Blues felt the goal, and the Merengues extended their lead a few minutes later, again without much effort.
In another perfect counterattack, Vinicius Jr. made a sensational pass to Brahím Díaz, who dribbled past goalkeeper Jörgensen and sent it into the net with his left foot.
After that, Chelsea finally woke up and managed to reduce the deficit in Charlotte.
In the 38th minute, Enzo Fernández delivered a quality cross, Madueke leaped over left-back Fran García* and nudged the ball into the back of the net with his head.
The second half was less eventful and featured many substitutions as usual. The score remained unchanged, ending in a victory for Real Madrid.