Real Madrid secure emphatic victory in one and only pre-season friendly
Real Madrid have beaten Austrian side WSG Tirol in their one and only pre-season friendly, with Xabi Alonso’s securing a 4-0 win at the Tivoli Stadion Tirol.
Alonso opted to name a strong line-up for the match, with summer signings Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras all starting in defence – the latter was making his first appearance since his move from Benfica. The trio started alongside Eder Militao, and it was the Brazilian defender that opened the scoring in Tirol.
Militao, who scored an outrageous goal in Real Madrid’s win against Leganes last week, looped a header into the far corner following an Arda Guler’s cross. And only three minutes later the lead was doubled by Kylian Mbappe, who received the ball from Guler, turned and fired past the onrushing Tirol goalkeeper.
Just before the hour mark, Mbappe got his second and Real Madrid’s third after he was played through by compatriot Aurelien Tchouameni before rounding Tirol’s goalkeeper and finishing into an empty net.
Alonso’s side would complete the scoring on 82 minutes, and it was Rodrygo Goes – whose future at Real Madrid has generated a lot of speculation in recent weeks – that found the back of the net after coming off the bench. On this occasion, it was Mbappe that turned provided, and he played the Brazilian forward in on the overlap, which allowed him to score from a tight angle.
It was not a complete performance from Real Madrid, but Alonso will be happy enough with what he saw from his side. He and his players will now return to the Spanish capital, and their focus will turn to their La Liga opener next Tuesday, which is against Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu.