Karim Benzema’s genius
It was the second time Los Blancos and the storied Mexican team had faced off in a preseason friendly.
Tuesday night at Oracle Park,
Club America scored in the 82nd minute to tie the game with Real Madrid,
the reigning European Champions. Madrid and America tied 2-2 after two second-half penalty kicks equalised the score.
The last occasion was in 2010,
when Real Madrid triumphed 3-2 in the same stadium they played in on Tuesday, thanks to goals from Sergio Canales, Gonzalo Higuain, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Club America
Henry Marin scored the game’s first goal with a skillful touch inside the penalty area on a shot that was meant for the net.
In the fifth minute,
he relaxed with his first touch and scored the game’s opening goal by slipping the ball past Lunin with his second.
Madrid took a half-hour to get going, and Mexico kept up the pressure.
Once they did,
it was the front-runner for the Balon d’Or, Karim Benzema,
who after missing the Barcelona game over the weekend, demonstrated that he is in midseason form.
A one-two pass from Karim Benzema to Marco Asensio resulted in the Madrid No. 9 performing an act of pure genius by curling
the ball around Guillermo Ochoa and into the side netting.
Second-half penalties settle the outcome.
Following the equaliser, Madrid would assume control,
but they wouldn’t take the lead until late in the second half when Lucas Vazquez was brought down by Salvador Reyes in the penalty area.
The former Chelsea player,
who said he hasn’t been at his best the past couple of years
but stated he hopes to win the Madrid supporters over this year,
stepped to the spot and tucked the penalty home.
Despite making a few substitutions at the half,
Madrid maintained its advantage in possession. However, it was one of Carlo Ancelotti’s inexperienced replacements, Vinicius Tobias, who tripped up former Madrid player Adolfo Fidalgo in the box. In the 82nd, Fidalgo converted the penalty.
San Francisco: Tuesday’s preseason friendly between Mexican team Club America and Spanish powerhouse
Real Madrid ended in a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard.
In a game staged on a temporary field at Oracle Park,
home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team,
Alvaro Fidalgo, a former player for Real Madrid,
missed a penalty kick in the 82nd minute that prevented Real from winning.
After just five minutes, Henry Martin scored a startling early goal for America by latching onto Miguel Layun’s shot and assisting it into the goal.
After 22 minutes, though, Karim Benzema scored an equaliser for Real as a response.
The French international sprinted toward the goal and exchanged passes deftly
with Marco Asensio before firing a low shot past Guillermo Ochoa into the bottom right corner.
So, At halftime, Real coach Carlo Ancelotti made seven substitutes,
including the switches of Karim Benzema for Rodrygo and Asensio for Hazard.
After Salvador Reyes, an American defender,
was found to have fouled Lucas Vazquez in the area in the 55th minute,
Hazard wasted no time in making an impact. He converted the resulting penalty kick.
Hazard’s penalty appeared to put an end to a dull game, but eight minutes from time,
Vinicius made the tiniest of touch with Fidalgo just inside the area,
bringing America back to parity.
Fidalgo came up to convert the penalty after beginning his professional career with Real Madrid’s B team but never making it to the senior side.
After sitting out the Clasico, Karim Benzema and Eden Hazard both scored, but Alvaro Fidalgo, an ex-Real Madrid player, grabbed a late tie after Henry Martin had given the Mexican team the lead.
The La Liga and Champions League winners were predicted to control the game, but in an almost anticlimactic turn of events, they fell behind 1-0 just five minutes. Martin may have been fortunate that his teammate’s shot or pass wound up at his feet, but he displayed outstanding calm to put the ball in the goal.
After dropping deep to interchange a few passes with his teammates, Benzema brought his team back into the game. He then had a pass exchange with Asensio before releasing a curling effort that beat the opposing goalkeeper.
After a violent challenge on Lucas Vazquez ten minutes into the second half, Madrid was awarded a penalty, levelling the score at 1-1.
Eden Hazard came to the fore to finish expertly and give his team the lead.
Although Club America was also given a penalty with 12 minutes left in regulation time, Los Blancos continued to dominate. The former Real Madrid star Fidalgo accepted responsibility and scored the ensuing kick to even the playing field.
And so it ended, with Madrid and America splitting the points (2-2). The Spanish team will play Juventus next, and the Mexican team will start their league season.
