Real Madrid deserved to do better in their final match of their United States tour. The Whites carved out numerous chances to turn the game around against Juventus, but the Italians withstood Ancelotti's men's onslaught and set themselves on the road to victory with two first-half goals. Vini Jr. reduced the deficit before the break and the referee failed to award a penalty when Rodrygo was fouled in the 90th minute. Vlahović secured the spoils for Juventus in stoppage time.
Things got tough for Real Madrid early on when Kean put Juve ahead as the forward turned in the rebound after McKennie’s effort came back off the post. Madrid were not deterred by the early setback and looked to reply straight away with a strike by Vini Jr. forcing Szczesny into a smart save. In the 10th minute, Ancelotti‘s side almost drew level again when Rüdiger’s header went straight into the keeper’s hands.
Chances and goals for both teams
The game was being played at a frenetic pace and Madrid sought to seize the opportunity to level the score and came close to doing so on a couple of occasions. First through Vini Jr. who narrowly missed the target after a run into the box (17’), then Camavinga tried his luck with a fierce drive from distance. However, as the Whites went in search of an equaliser, Weah put the Italians 2-0 up when he got on the end of a low cross from McKennie. The madridistas kept applying the pressure and on the half-hour mark they almost pulled one back. Kroos swung in a corner which was brought down by Bellingham, who shifted past a defender and fired a left-footed strike that Szczesny did well to save. Six minutes later, the German midfielder played a fine pass to set Vini Jr. away and the Brazilian finished superbly past the Juventus goalkeeper. On the stroke of halftime, Lucas Vázquez and Rüdiger both came close to making it 2-2, but they were unable to find the target.
Video.3-1: Madrid slip to defeat against Juventus
The second half began with Madrid surging into the Italian box. In the 49th minute, Fran García was the first to threaten with a long-range left-footed shot and, shortly afterwards, Bellingham fired over from a corner. The Whites were in clear command of the game and, before the hour mark, Joselu almost equalised with a close-range effort that flashed inches wide of the left-hand post. Ancelotti then looked to introduce more energy into the team and sent on Rodrygo, Alaba, Militão, Tchouameni, Carvajal and Valverde.
Rodrygo unlucky not to be award a penalty
The Uruguayan had the best chance of the second half when he smashed a long-range right-footed shot against the crossbar. Madrid were pushing and this time it was Bellingham who could have made it 2-2, but his cross-shot was blocked by Pinsoglio (67'). From that point on, fatigue set in and the chances to score dwindled. In the 90th minute, the referee decided not to award a penalty when Barrenechea brought down Rodrygo in the area. As Real Madrid poured forward, Vlahović scored to make it 3-1 in stoppage time. The madridistas's next match will be the league opener against Athletic at San Mamés on Saturday 12 August (9.30 pm CET).
