Real Madrid lose 1-0 to Tottenham in Audi Cup
Real Madrid’s poor pre-season continued on Tuesday as they slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Zinedine Zidane’s men were looking to bounce back after Friday night’s humiliating 7-3 loss against neighbours Atletico but failed to impress against last season’s Champions League finalists.
They have now lost three of their four pre-season fixtures - their only win coming against Arsenal on penalties - despite having spent over £300 million on new players this summer.
The most expensive of those players was Eden Hazard - and the former Chelsea star, who cost £90 million, was particularly disappointing against Spurs.
It was his loose pass which led to Harry Kane giving Spurs the lead midway through the first half.
The Belgian’s wayward cross-field pass led to a calamitous error by Marcelo, who inadvertently sent the ball into Kane’s path after attempting to keep it in play.
The England striker found himself one-on-one with Keylor Navas and made no mistake from close range, producing a confident dink over the Costa Rican shot-stopper.
Kane had another chance to score in the first half but was denied by Navas, who also pulled off a fine save from Tanguy Ndombele earlier in the match.
The busy Navas also prevented Raphael Varane from scoring an own goal with a top stop.
Karim Benzema spurned a golden opportunity to level the scores shortly after Kane’s opener, side-footed wide after being picked out by former Spurs midfielder Luka Modric.
That was Real Madrid’s best chance of the opening 45 minutes. Paulo Gazzaniga was a virtual spectator in the Tottenham goal.
Mauricio Pochettino made nine changes at break, with only Son Heung-min and Kane staying on for the second half.
Marcelo and Hazard almost made amends for their first-half mistake by combining just before the hour-mark. However, Hazard’s shot from the penalty shot was blocked.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Navas - aiming to become Madrid’s first-choice ‘keeper ahead of Thibaut Courtois this season - pulled off another save from the lively Kane.
Another of Madrid’s summer signings, Rodrygo, thought he’d equalised for Madrid with 15 minutes remaining.
The 18-year-old Brazilian had the ball in the back of the Spurs net but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Even though Madrid aren’t at their best right now, the result will still come as a huge confidence booster for Spurs, who also recorded a win over Juventus earlier this month.