Summary
Not sure how much to take from all that, Internazionale were dominated by a much superior team. They have made some interesting signings this summer, but they haven’t gelled yet: they certainly don’t have the fluency going forward or the defensive cohesion at the back yet.
Real were Real: winning comfortably despite never really getting out of third gear. Crucially they didn’t pick up any injuries either. And whilst Rafa Benitez had copped a fair amount of stick since his arrival as manager, you can’t really argue with his results in the last two games: 4-1 win over Manchester City, 3-0 victory over Internazionale.
Thanks for reading, see ya next time!
Full-time: Real Madrid 3-0 Internazionale
And that’s that.
90+2 min: Arbeloa is booked for a late challenge. Any idea why he is still club captain? I know he’s a nice guy and all, but really? Danilo, Carvajal (and Nacho?) ahead of him in the pecking order.
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90 min: Well that’s made my day. Three minutes added on here.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 3-0 Internazionale (James 88)
Um, so this is a bit special. James had his sighter just a couple of minutes previously, and from a very similar position – 30ish yards out, central – and the Colombian curls a delicious shot over the Inter wall and into the top left-hand corner. Handanovic, who has been in great form all evening, had no chance. That was postage-stamp stuff!
GOLAZO!! James Rodriguez with a perfect free kick. Keeper No Chance. pic.twitter.com/6M5gnoiyL6
— Footy Vines (@FutbollVines) July 27, 2015
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85 min: A particularly nasty challenge puts Cheryshev on his behind. It’s a good way out, perhaps 35 yards, but James is willing to take it on. It’s a bouncing, awkward effort for Handanovic to deal with, but deal with it he does, pushing it wide. It was about this stage in this tournament’s previous match involving Inter and Milan that the discipline deteriorated. Nocerino being shown a straight red card, in a pre-season friendly!
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82 min: More Inter changes: Kovacic, Kondogbia, Jesus and Ranocchia off with Popa, Nagatomo, D’Ambrosio and Taider coming on. And the world continues to turn.
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80 min: So no recognised striker on for Real. But then, is the only real No9 at the club. Who needs a striker these days anyway? Other than Arsenal, that is.
77 min: Turns out they’re not, the clock is still ticking. Real make more changes: James Rodriguez is on – making his first appearance this pre-season since his Copa America exploits – for Jese, and is Lazo and Llorente.
73 min: Another drinks break. I’m not sure that these minutes are added on at the end?
71 min: The tempo has, predictably, dropped out of the game since the substitutions.
“It’s been a good work out for these teams hasn’t it?”, says the Sky commentator.
“It certainly has,” responds co-commentator Terry Gibson.
Thanks Terry.
#Takealookatmethen Terry Gibson in his Coventry City days #pusb pic.twitter.com/rPAnqbLNOm
— Martyn Bishop (@MartynBCFC) June 23, 2015
69 min: Guarin tries an effort from about 3,856 yards out, which flies 3,857 yards over the bar.
68 min: Can we all just take a minute to give it up for Roberto Mancini’s tan?
65 min: Here come some Inter changes: Guarin, Longo, Santon and Andreolli come on for Hernanes, Montoya, Murillo and Palacio. Arrivederci rat-tail.
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64 min: Juan Jesus is booked. The cameras were on Roberto Mancini so I have no idea why.
62 min: Real make more subs: Lucas Silva for Kroos, Arbeloa for Marcelo, Carvajal for Danilo. Only Isco and Jese remain from the initial XI that Rafa selected at the start, could we see Odegaard come on for either of them as the game wears on?
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60 min: Cheryshev is quick. My word, boy’s got wheels. He looks like he’s got Montoya on toast, the Inter man really is having a bit of a torrid evening. Cheryshev is released down the left and leaves Montoya for dead. There is not a Real Madrid player within 40 yards of him in support, so the Russian has a shot, tipped wide by Handanovic. But the ref doesn’t spot the save, goal kick!
58 min: Real are arguably looking more dangerous in this half, without Bale, Ronaldo and co. They are forced to defend though, just for a moment, as Kondogbia has a header on goal. Easily gathered by Casilla.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Internazionale (Varane 56)
From a corner, Inter fail to clear a corner properly and leave Vasquez completely unmarked on the right. Kroos feeds Vazquez, who has all the time in the world to cross to Varane, still up from the corner, and the French defender sidefoots a volley into the net. Finished with all the aplomb of a striker!
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53 min: Hernanes is given a yellow for catching Marcelo late – the Brazilian acting in traditional style, making a meal of the challenge and then rising to his feet and playing on, completely unharmed. Inter make their first change in the break of play: Brozovic coming off for Gnoukouri.
51 min: It might be with very different personnel, but this half has started in much the same way, with Real dominating. Vasquez squirms an effort across Inter’s six-yard box,but there’s nobody there to poke it home.
48 min: Ooooooo Cheryshev just flashes over, after a lovely one-two with Isco on the edge of Inter’s box. That was perhaps only a yard over Handanovic’s bar. The Russian is yet to make a competitive start for Real but he’s impressed this pre-season and nabbed a goal against Manchester City on Friday. He was on loan at Villarreal last season and was hugely impressive, so nice to see Rafa has given the youngster a chance.
Peeep peeep! We’re underway again. Navas, Bale, Ronaldo, Pepe and Ramos are all off, by my reckoning. No changes by Inter.
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Varane, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, Cheryshev, Casilla are all among those to come on for Real as half-time substitutes. I’ll try and figure out who they’ve come on for shortly.
If you haven’t got any fan footage and just want to listen to a nice song … well here you are:
I’ve been utterly blown away by level of support in China for these two teams, especially Inter. If you have any fan footage/fans going a bit nuts from any of this pre-season that you think might be of interest, do get in touch via michael.butler@theguardian.com or on Twitter @michaelbutler18.
Half-time: Real Madrid 1-0 Internazionale
But for Handanovic, it would be a lot worse for Inter.
45 min+2: Casemiro upends Kondogbia on the edge of the area and Hernanes is over it … he curls it towards the near post, but Navas is equal to it, punching it clear.
Hernanes is very capable from that range, here a beauty he scored earlier this month against Carpi. Not a bad celebration either.
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44 min: Kovavic is daintiness personified as he dances through three challenges – Kroos, Casemiro, and Isco – but his powerful shot is straight at Navas. Three yards either side and that was in.
42 min: Hernanes and Kovavic exchange passes in a neat short-corner routine, and the Brazilian hits a cross-shot across goal, which is well held by Navas.
40 min: Bale is at it again, he’s been the stand-out player of this first half. The 26-year-old goes past Juan Jesus like he’s not there to reach the byline and crosses low, but Ranocchia somehow scoops it clear.
37 min: And Real do indeed counter: Brozovic wasteful in possession, with Danilo winning the ball, and he releases Bale, who has switched to the right. Bale has a free run at goal – where is the Inter defence, but instead squares it to Ronaldo. Handanovic foils the Portuguese yet again, parrying his shot.
36 min: Inter are committing a lot of bodies forward. They’re looking a bit vulnerable on the counter-attack.
33 min: Montoya is struggling at right back for Inter. The defender, on loan from Barcelona of course, can’t keep Bale in check at the moment.
30 min: The players take a drinks break. The humidity has dropped to 70% but there are a few beads of sweat out there.
28 min: Kondogbia lines up a shot on the edge of Madrid’s area, but like Donkey Kong winding up for a punch, he takes an eternity to unload, and Ramos is able to block.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Internazionale (Jese 26)
Well that was coming. But it’s an excellent goal all the same. Bale switches the play to Marcelo on the left and as the Inter defence shuffles to their right, Marcelo dinks a lovely ball back towards Jese at the back post. It’s an instant control from the Spaniard, and he turns cleverly inside Murillo before firing an early strike inside the near post. That’s a great finish, took Handanovic completely off-guard by taking the shot early.
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22 min: Double-save from Handanovic! He’s keeping them in it at present. From the corner, Kovacic heads out but only so far as Isco on the edge who volleys a low strike towards the near post. It comes through a crowd of bodies, but Handanovic gets a … er hand to it and is able to deny Jese on the rebound with his legs!
21 min: Casemiro hits a long-ranger which looks destined for the far corner, but the ball skims off Kongodbia’s buttocks and is deflected just wide. Inter hanging on here. Corner
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18 min: Jese is the man playing highest for Madrid and he does well to pick up a Pepe clearance, before being halted by one of the finest slide tackles you are ever likely to see/read about from Murillo.
15 min: It’s all Madrid, and Ronaldo is again the chief tormentor. Bale wins the ball and for a moment it is three on three: Bale draws the attention of Montoya and releases Ronaldo, who is clean through … wide! The Portuguese looks disgusted with his left-foot effort.
13 min: Free-kick to Madrid, as Kondogbia is judged to have fouled Bale. It quite easily could have gone the other way. Ronaldo is over it: THWACK! The ball zooms over the wall and dips viciously just under the bar, but Handanovic does excellently to tip it over the bar! A bit Hollywood, but great save!
11 min: This crowd is very excitable – not quite Centre Court excitable – but they seem to be up in arms at every decision. Ronaldo gives them another reason to get out of their seats, feinting left and right with those lollipops he so likes, and forces an excellent save from Handanovic, who spills and then collects the rebound with Jese lurking.
9 min: Juan Jesus, who is naturally a centre-back but is playing left-back today, clatters into the rampaging Danilo. Free-kick, which is promptly punted into the Inter wall. Waste.
7 min: Inter have made a good start here though, controlling possession. Kondogbia strikes me as an excellent signing, he’s won his first two tackles against Kroos.
5 min: Every time Bale gets the ball, a roar goes up around the stadium. With Benzema on the bench today, the Welshman seems to be playing in a more advanced role, and he is released by Ronaldo, but shoots wide.
2 min: What a miss by Icardi! Hernandes peels to the left, gets his head up and floats a tempting cross in between the despairing Ramos and Pepe. Icardi is all alone six yards out, but completely mis-times his jump! The ball flies through. Let off for Madrid, that.
1 min: Bale sets off down the left, at full tilt leaving Ranocchia for dead. His cross is wayward though, when he might have shot. We all remember what Bale did against Inter in 2010, don’t we?
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Peeeep peeep! And we’re off.
The teams are out: Real in their resplendent white, Inter in their traditional black and blue. The atmosphere is bouncing. Let’s do this!
With Bacary Sagna shedding his locks, I was extremely worried that Rodrigo Palacio, who leads the line for Inter today, would also be getting rid of his rat-tail. I am delighted to confirm, however, that the nape of his neck continues to be adorned with arguably the most intriguing haircut in football. Excellent to see.
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The weather is Guangzhou is a toasty 29°C, despite it being around 8pm local time. Humidity is 88%. Ouch.
Team news:
Real Madrid 4-2-3-1: Keylor Navas; Danilo,Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Casemiro; Ronaldo, Isco, 11 Bale; Jesè
Subs: Casilla, Varane, Nacho, Benzema, Rodriguez, Carvajal, Lucas Silva, Arbeloa, Lucas Vazquez, Modric, Cheryshev, Illaramendi, Pacheco, Lazo, Llorente, Ruben Yanez, Odegaard.
Manager: Rafael Benitez
Inter 4-3-1-2: Handanovic; Montoya, Ranocchia, Murillo, Juan Jesus; Brozovic, Kovacic, Kondogbia; Hernanes; Palacio, Icardi.
Subs: Carrizo, Berni, Andreolli, Longo, Guarin, Taider, Santon, Gnoukouri, D’Ambrosio, Delgado, Nagatomo, Popa, Baldini, Dimarco.
Manager: Roberto Mancini
Referee: Fu Ming
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Preamble
Welcome to the International Champions Cup match between Real Madrid and Internazionale. It’s hard to know where these pre-season tournament begin and end but frankly, who cares what the format is at this stage: we’ve got two of the most prestigious clubs on the planet going at it to help break up your Monday, all in the name of fitness and trying to impress the new gaffer glory.
New Real Madrid gaffer Rafa Benitez faces one of his many former clubs today – he hasn’t made many new signings this summer – only right-back Danilo from Porto and Kiko Casilla arriving from Espanyol to be the back-up keeper – but then Real don’t really need to, do they? They are keeping hold of Sergio Ramos though, and he is expected to play today.
New Internazionale gaffer Roberto Mancini has welcomed Geoffrey Kondogbia, Miranda, Martín Montoya, Jeison Murillo to the club in recent weeks. Stevan Jovetic is on his way from Manchester City to have a medical. What a time to be alive.
Madrid have been in good form recently, swotting aforementioned City aside 4-1 on Friday in Australia. Inter lost 1-0 to rivals Milan on Saturday after Philippe Mexes did this. Woof.
We’ll have the team news with you imminently.
Kick off: 1pm BST
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