A decent enough game, but not too much to get excited about. Spurs looked as though they didn’t want to risk too much so close to their first Premier League game, and played accordingly, without much intensity or pep, although Dele Alli did well.
Real combined well for James’s opener, but Michel Vorm dropped a clanger for the second. They looked OK: still almost three weeks until they start against Sporting Gijon. Thanks for reading: see you later.
Full-time: Real Madrid 2-0 Tottenham
That’s it.
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90 min: On the bench, Pochettino is carping about something or other. Not long now!
89 min: Ninety seconds left. Nothing’s happening.
88 min: The commentators are suggesting Lloris might fill De Gea’s jersey at Manchester United if De Gea moves to Real Madrid. I think Lloris is truly excellent: what a fine keeper.
86 min: Vazquez feeds Asensio on the edge of the box, but his shot is well wide.
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84 min: Spurs don’t look like scoring. Maybe they will, though. Who knows!!
82 min: Bale is off; Borja Mayoral is on. He gets a round of applause. Michel Vorm should get a round of boos for that effort on the goal.
81 min: Pepe is coming on. He’s sticking with the close crop: I miss the Jheri curl!
80 min: Bad giveaway from Spurs, and Bale is on to it: he cuts inside from the right, fires a left-foot shot and hits it well enough, but it just goes through Vorm’s hands. Eek: he should have stopped that. When’s Lloris back?
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-0 Tottenham (Bale 79)
Oh dear, Michel Vorm.
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78 min: A long ball for Chadli is overhit. No one can be arsed any more. Dear referee: end this agony now!
77 min: Madrid have 11 men behind the ball. They win it back, Asension breaks, Dembele trips, and that’s a yellow card.
75 min: Good play from Walker, who gets clear down the right, but Harry Winks, on for Dele Alli, is called for climbing, and it’s a free-kick. This game is petering out.
73 min: Sometimes I think these coaches just make all these changes for a laugh. I mean, how much value is there in changing your entire team? Spurs have got a game tomorrow: just play a different XI in that game. Do it!
71 min: Vazquez has time and space, but that’s the second poor effort in five minutes: his pass for Asensio, I think it was, is underhit, and Spurs come away.
70 min: Spurs have been much better this half, but they haven’t really worked Casilla. Captain Kane is offside.
69 min: Lucas Vazquez goes into the box, but his cross is behind. Changes for Madrid: Asensio for Isco, and Nacho for Ramos. And Tottenham say: don’t forget about us! Carroll for Eriksen.
67 min: Bale pushes a nice pass infield for Danilo, who attacks it and heads into the box, but his cross is hit too hard, and out of play for a Spurs throw. A shame: Danilo has been good today.
65 min: Bale threads it through for Cheryshev, down the left, but Vertonghen stepped up just in time, and the Russian is offside. Actually, looking back on the replay, I think Rose may have played him on. It probably wouldn’t have mattered: Walker did well to come back and cover.
63 min: Ooh, that’s late from Cheryshev on Walker, and Walker is miffed. No card.
62 min: Bale is knocked off it by Bentaleb, but Madrid win it back, until they give it away. It’s gone slow again: as though we’re back in the 20mph zone.
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61 min: Shot from Chadli: punched clear in flamboyant style by Casilla. A comfortable save.
60 min: Bayern are on their way to the stadium in a posh bus. They play Milan at 8.45pm local time. Now a bunch of changes for Madrid: Marcelo off, Arbeloa on; Jese off, Cheryshev on.
Here’s Steven Fanning:
Have we ever seen evidence of the ‘special relationship’ the Bale deal was supposed to provide for between Spurs and Real? If they take Varane off and insist Bale plays only with his right foot, we could consider it settled. Or not sell Benzema to Arsenal.
58 min: Eriksen tries to find Kane, but Marcelo comes across. However, that’s a poor touch, and the Brazilian concedes a corner. It’s cleared by Madrid, but that’s much better from Spurs.
56 min: Spurs look better balanced now Bentaleb is on for Dier. Now here’s some fireworks: Ramos went right into Eriksen from behind, and is booked, deservedly. That was so dumb from Ramos. Pointless.
54 min: Eriksen over the bar, and he’s unhappy with that: Alli laid it off, but the ball was hit with too much pace, and that caused the Dane to sky it.
52 min: Good ball in from Eriksen, but Varane is first there. Varane’s been great so far: he’s like a Rolls-Royce of a central defender!
51 min: Kane goes down the left, and crosses. It’s blocked by Varane. Corner!
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50 min: Good start to this second half by Spurs: they’ve monopolised possession and pushed Madrid back. No clear chances, though.
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47 min: Chadli gives it away, and Eriksen makes the international gesture for “calm down”. Kane is fouled, and that’s a Tottenham free kick in the centre circle.
Second half begins
46 min: Lucas Vazquez and Casemiro are in for Real Madrid; Kroos and James depart. Vertonghen, Bentaleb and Chadli in for Spurs; Dier, Lamela and Wimmer are off. This match has started to resemble a people carrier. Do Audi make people carriers?
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Here’s Ian Copestake’s sixth email:
The name Danny Rose reminds me of Richard Burton almost saying his name in that war film back in the day when football was even slower. It might be the heat or the ennui but I can now only hear those rich tones saying “Broadsword calling Danny Boy.”
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Half-time: Real Madrid 1-0 Tottenham
Sergio Ramos is upset with Lamela, and well he might be: that’s a second brainless foul from the Argentinian. But the ref blows his whistle, and that’s the half: reasonably entertaining, but it’s been essentially lethargic. Not much vim or snap. Good goal from James, but Rose should have pushed up. See you in 15!
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45 min: Isco juggles, beautifully, and finds Jese, but his cross from the left is just too high for Bale. As an aside, Burley, for those who don’t have a chance to listen to him, is an excellent co-commentator: clear, insightful, opinionated, well-informed. Good on him. Lamela drags back Modric. In a league game, that’s a yellow.
43 min: Eriksen does well to find Rose, who’s been active down the left, but another cross doesn’t find its target: it’s cut out by Danilo.Here’s Matt Richman:
I missed the first 10 minutes, but this seems like it’s played at a walking pace as well (yeah yeah, meaningless friendly, I know).
Watching Real now I am even more mystified by the Benitez appointment. Ancelotti may have fielded a side well behind Barca, but so entertaining in its own way. Could Perez not have possibly appointed anyone else?
It must be because he cleans up Mourinho’s messes.
41 min: Rose advances down the right, but Varane does well to cut out the cross. Spurs haven’t created much since that first couple of minutes.
40 min: Madrid just looked like they were starting to move through the gears there. But I think Dele Alli has looked very impressive for Spurs. He’s shown some nice touches, and has been willing to accept the ball in tough spots. Well played so far.
37 min: Simple goal for Madrid: Isco cut back on to his right foot and put a super ball into the box, and James got up above Danny Rose to head past Vorm. I think the Spurs defence was too deep there, but Real Madrid have a deserved lead.
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-0 Tottenham (James 36)
It had been coming!
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36 min: Rose is penalised for a trip from behind on James. It was clumsy, but no yellow card. Madrid are dominating possession here, and that’s nearly a goal! Modric had so much space, and no one closed him down, so he just had a shot: it deflected off Wimmer, bounced up and fooled Vorm, who did very well to sort his feet out and palm clear.
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34 min: James’s corner is cleared. Modric picks it up, beats Rose down the right, but his cross is claimed by Vorm.
Craig Burley speaks for all of us: “Do you rememeber Harry Kane touching the ball?”
33 min: Dier, who doesn’t look comfortable in midfield, if I’m being critical, gives it away. The crowd, who are here in their numbers – it looks full – seem reasonably bored. It’s not bad, this, but there’s not much intensity.
29 min: Walker pushes Marcelo over next the corner flag. He’s upset with the decision, but it was a clear foul. Ball in from James, and Bale’s header is just wide! He got up above Wimmer and Alderweireld. Unlucky.
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27 min: James finds Danilo, but his cross is well defended by Spurs. Now Kane has it: we haven’t seen much of him so far.
26 min: Dier is dropping right back into central defence when Spurs have the ball. Bale finds Isco, who cuts inside Walker, and then loses his footing. Was that a free-kick? Whatever: I don’t think the ball is rolling properly, as though the grass is too long.
Here’s Michael Aston:
Hoping Spurs go all the way and both games go to extra time of course before loading in a heartbreaking, demoralizing preen shoot out! Sincerely, LVG
Wahay!!! Bantz.
24 min: Lovely skill from Alli, who is tall and rangy and elegant, but Rose can’t make it count. Chance on the counter for Madrid, but James’s pass for Isco is errant.
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21 min: Bale loses it. It’s not happening for him yet. Craig Burley is reflecting on the pace of the modern game. Yeah, it’s so much quicker now, isn’t it? I watched Holland v Brazil from the 1998 World Cup semi-final the other day: a great game, but to watch it now … it looked as though it was played at walking pace. And so much space!
19 min: Wimmer, I think it was, hits it straight out of play. Madrid seeing more of the ball now, and Modric and Kroos are starting to motor. It’s the Audi Cup!
18 min: Marcelo does well to head back to Casilla, and Madrid come forward again. Sergio Ramos looks long for Jese, who wasn’t offside, but the whistled went against Bale, who was.
Here’s Michael Johnson:
@timmyhilleh it's spurs looking for exposure. RM & ACM don't start their season until 23/08, BM start Bundesliga on 14/08. Spurs are mad.
— Michael Johnson (@michael105uk) August 4, 2015
Yeah, the timing just seems off, doesn’t it?
16 min: Good defending by Wimmer, as Bale looked to profit from Marcelo’s cross. Now Danilo feeds James, and his blast from the edge of the box is just over the bar.
14 min: Shot from range from Eriksen, and that was a funny save from Casilla: it dipped, and bounced just in front of him, so Casilla just got his legs in the way and kicked it clear. Unorthodox, but effective. I love Eriksen: he’s a dynamite Dane!
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12 min: Bale fouls Alli, and then belts it high after the whistle had gone. It’s just settled down after a frenzied first 10 minutes.
9 min: Three excellent opportunities within eight minutes. I though Vorm was beaten too easily for the first, but his second stop was really good: it look as though Jese was going to find the corner.
Bale’s been quiet so far, but Ian Copestake has emailed:
ATEOTD, Bale’s hair/football is the real winner/loser.
You know it.
7 min: Super save from Michel Vorm! Marcelo fed Jese, and Spurs were outnumbered: Jese cut inside, and stabbed a shot from 15 yards, trying to bend one into the corner with his right foot, but Vorm did really well to palm it behind. This is good stuff!
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5 min: Off the bar from Jese! He got in down the inside-right channel, away from Wimmer, and there didn’t look to be too much danger, but he took the shot early, hit it true, and Vorm was beaten: back off the woodwork. Super effort, and really unlucky.
4 min: Good start from Spurs. They’ve seen a lot of the ball; Madrid haven’t really shown much so far. But that’s a late one from Dier on Isco. No yellow.
2 min: What a miss from Lamela! Real Madrid just got completely cut open, and Walker had so much space on the right flank. It was absurd: where was Marcelo? Walker waited and waited, and had four players to pick out – he chose Lamela, who skied it from eight yards. Glorious chance.
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And we're off
1 min: Game on! Spurs kick off, all in purple. Maybe it’s more of an aubergine. Or eggplant, if you’re American. That’s 60 seconds of solid possession, and Marcelo is forced to wallop clear for a throw.
We think Dier will start alongside Alli in defensive midfield, with Wimmer and Alderweireld in central defence. I think we can say with certainty: that won’t be Spurs’s backline on Saturday.
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Rupert Stadler, the CEO of Audi, takes the mic to offer some platitudes about fair play and the football family. Let’s hope his company can sell more cars!
Craig Burley on commentary says what we’re all thinking: “I find it incredible that this game is taking place so close to the season.”
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The teams are “emerging from the tunnel”, to give the old cliche an airing. Real Madrid in white tracksuit tops; Spurs in lovely purple jackets.
FWIW, Gareth Bale’s hair looks lovely.
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Not long till kickoff – they’re just finishing up the pre-match pleasantries. It’s hot in Munich: 86F, or 30C if you prefer to keep it metric.
A word on Tottenham: they kick off their Premier League season against Manchester United next Saturday, so they don’t have much time for fine-tuning. Austrian Kevin Wimmer starts in central defence today, and the tall Dele Alli, formerly of MK Dons, starts in midfield.
ESPN are speculating on whether De Gea is on his way to the Bernabeu. Here’s what Spanish newspaper Marca has to say:
Van Gaal expects the shotstopper to end up in Madrid and has decided he wants him gone as soon as possible. United as a club, however, are another story. They are digging in their heels, having stuck a 40 million euros price tag around the 24-year-old’s neck.
Both clubs are not yet done with their pre-season globetrotting; once this happens, their power brokers are expected to sit down at the negotiating table and step up talks with the clear aim of sorting out the issue quickly and painlessly. If that is before Saturday, then all the better for everyone.
Real Madrid: Crunch week for De Gea saga - MARCA.com (English version)
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Here’s an edited version of that interview with Ronaldo. Somebody’s cranky!
No Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema for Real Madrid today. Ronaldo is suffering from back pain, and possibly also sulking after his abortive interview with CNN. Benzema has a thigh strain. But still: James, Kroos, Sergio Ramos, Bale, Modric, Eriksen, Kane. Feast your eyes on that.
Lineups
Some team news, and a nice drawing of Luka Modric, too:
Este es nuestro once inicial frente al Tottenham. #RMTour2015 #AudiCup2015 pic.twitter.com/wT9vy5QteN
— Real Madrid C. F. (@realmadrid) August 4, 2015
#THFC team v @realmadriden: Vorm, Walker, Alderweireld, Wimmer, Rose; Alli, Dier; Dembele, Lamela, Eriksen; Kane #AudiCup2015 #COYS
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 4, 2015
By contrast with the International Champions Cup, whose tentacles spread the globe and which seemed to last for the entire summer, the Audi Cup is a perfect pre-season format: Real and Spurs play today, followed by Milan v Bayern. The losers play in a third-place playoff on Wednesday, and that’s followed by the final, also on Wednesday. No messing: just what we like.
Hello and welcome
Vroom! The new season is nearly here, but first, let’s enjoy the Audi Cup, Germany’s premier – and precision-engineered – pre-season soccer tournament. Four teams, two days: Real Madrid, Tottenham, Milan and Bayern are in the mix to show how slick, refined and well-oiled their new-season performance is – and to find out whether they got any duds in the dealership. Vorsprung durch technik, etc etc. Kick off’s at 12.15pm ET, 5.15pm BST, 6.15pm local time. Join us!
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Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s why Cristiano Ronaldo stormed out of an interview with CNN:
Asked whether he and his team-mates ever discussed the corruption scandal at the game’s governing body, Ronaldo replied: “Do you want me to be honest? It doesn’t worry me at all. I do my profession, my job, I give me all for my club … the rest doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care what happens on the outside.”
Ronaldo is then asked what subjects are on the agenda in the changing room: “About music, about women, about fashion, about shoes, about suitcases/bags, about jewellery, about haircuts … any more you want me to list?”
Oppenheimer then attempts to ask a question about Qatar, whose hosting of the 2022 World Cup is under scrutiny, but is quickly dismissed by the former Manchester United forward, who then storms out of the interview.
“I can’t speak like that,” he says. “This is bullshit. Speak about Fifa, I don’t care about Fifa. And Qatar … I don’t give a fuck. What you want me to do? Speak about product, he speaks about Fifa … come on.”
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