23.07.2017 » Real Madrid 1-1 Man United (1-2 on penalties). Slow start in the ICC

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The first game Real Madrid completed in their 2017 US tour ended with a 1-1 draw in regular time. The opponents on the night, Manchester United, would then beat the Merengues in a penalty shootout, after a dreadful performance from both teams.

Football is finally back this summer and the first opponent in this pre-season was Manchester United. The English side started their preparation for the competitive challenges ahead a bit earlier than Real Madrid and that inevitably showed off at times during tonight's game. The Merengues, who also had to battle against the California summer heat, couldn't go beyond a 1-1 draw in regular time and then succumbed 2-1 in a penalty shootout that will live long in our memories for the worst reasons. Out of 10 penalty attempts, only 3 were converted... The next game is now on Wednesday against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, knowing upfront that the Citizens will be the underdogs.

Real Madrid 1-1 Manchester United - Goals and highlights:

It's been a typical pre-season game for the Merengues, as Zinedine Zidane took the chance to rotate a total of 22 players during the game. The former Real Madrid and Juventus legend lined up his strongest starting eleven available, only missing the likes of Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were granted extended vacation time this summer.

For those expecting fireworks this Sunday night at the Levi's Stadium, the game turned out to be a big disappointment. The two teams were very rusty in a lot of aspects of their game, which is perfectly natural given the early stage of the pre-season works.

Neither team was able to create clear-cut chances in the first half, but Manchester United still found a way to break the deadlock near the half-time break, when Anthony Martial brilliantly dribbled 3 opponents before assisting Lingard for an empty net tap in. It was also probably the best play in the whole match...

The second half brought us a lot of changes, particularly in Zidane's side. The Frenchman subbed off 8 of his starting players, sending in mostly "Canteranos". One would expect Madrid to go through a lot more difficulties in the 45 minutes ahead, but that wasn't the case tonight. José Mourinho also rotated his side, but most of the players that came in were very experienced and will be part of the squad this season...

If goalscoring chances were in the first half, the remaining 45 minutes didn't exactly produce more exciting plays in attacking areas. However and given that a total of 22 substitutions were made during and after the break, it's perfectly normal that neither team was capable of connecting their game. Still, Madrid's youth system were decided in bringing the fight to Man United and equalized the game in the 69th minute, after a Lindelof foul on Theo Hernández clearly inside the box. Casemiro stepped up to convert the penalty and didn't miss it...

The game ended 1-1 in regular time and the International Champions Cup rules dictate an immediate penalty shootout when that happens. What happened next is quite unusual, as both teams really struggled to convert their penalty kicks, missing 7 of the 10 attempts they had at their disposal. Manchester United ended up being the least bad and won the penalty shootout with a final 2-1 scoreline.

Real Madrid line-up vs Manchester United:

Goalkeeper: Navas
Defenders: Marcelo, Nacho, Varane, Carvajal
Midfielders: Kroos, Modric, Isco
Attackers: Bale, Lucas Vázquez, Benzema.

Cristiano Ronaldo next game is a pre-season fixture on July 26 of 2017 against Manchester City. You can watch Juventus live stream, Real Madrid vs Manchester City, Barcelona vs Manchester United, Manchester City vs Tottenham, Chelsea vs Bayern Munich, and Inter Milan vs Lyon, all matches provided from our soccer live game pages.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Manchester City kick-off time (26-07-2017):

Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 11:00
Jakarta (Indonesia) | UTC/GMT+7: 10:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 08:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 05:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 04:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 00:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-4: 23:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-7: 20:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / manutd.com / espnfc.com

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