Figo penalty gives Real 3-2 win in China
A late Luis Figo penalty gave Real Madrid a hard-fought 3-2 win over China's Beijing Guo'an in the third match of their lucrative pre-season tour on Saturday.
England captain David Beckham did not play because of a hamstring injury sustained in the United States last week and Real began sluggishly in rain-soaked Beijing.
"The pitch was very difficult to play on tonight because it was so wet," Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo told reporters. "It was hard to play to our real level. If the rain hadn't been so heavy the result might have been different."
Real, who twice trailed on a water-logged pitch, were given a wake-up call when a Lu Jiang header gave the Chinese side a shock lead after 32 minutes.
The Spanish club struck back five minutes later through captain Raul, who dribbled past two defenders before applying a clinical finish.
Serbian forward Branko Jelic restored the home team's lead with a solo effort in the 73rd minute, only for Guti to equalise from close range with just over 10 minutes left.
Substitute Figo, who has been linked with a move away from Madrid, secured victory for the visitors from the penalty spot in the 82nd minute.
The 70,000-capacity Beijing Workers' Stadium was only just over half full for the match despite the enormous hype surrounding Real's visit.
Real began their six-match pre-season tour with a 3-1 win over Mexico's Chivas Guadalajara in Chicago and a 2-0 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy in California.
The Spanish giants play two games in Japan next week before finishing the money-spinning trip with a friendly in Bangkok.