30.12.2014 » Real Madrid 2-4 AC Milan. A bitter loss in Dubai to finish the year

Tweet

Real Madrid have lost their last match of 2014 by 4-2, in a friendly clash against AC Milan that took place in Dubai, just a few days away from returning to action in La Liga. In a game where Ancelotti understandably rotated most of his men, the Merengues' goals still came from the feet of Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema.

It was a poor performance all round for Carlo Ancelotti's side and the Italian coach will be relieved that this result won't count against their current 22-game winning streak. Real Madrid were especially poor against AC Milan, as the Italian side pulled off a 4-2 win over the reigning European champions, thanks to goals from Jeremy Menez, Stephan El Shaarawy and Pazzini. A lot of things went wrong this Tuesday night, but it was mostly the lack of competitive attitude that stood out the most and that probably played the biggest part in the outcome of this game. Cristiano Ronaldo still scored the the Merengues first goal, but he would only play in the first 45 minutes of this friendly match.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Real Madrid vs AC Milan
Real Madrid 2-4 AC Milan - Goals and highlights:

All Cristiano Ronaldo actions vs AC Milan:

Pippo Inzaghi's side were active, hardworking and pressured Real Madrid all match lon, in stark contrast to their somewhat indifferent form in Serie A, where they currently languish in 7th place. Coming into the game, the two giants of European football could not be more diametrically opposed — Madrid currently flying high at the pinnacle of the sport and AC Milan currently undergoing a bit of a transition from their glory days.

Milan broke the deadlock in the 24th minute, after a poor back pass from Nacho Fernandez got punished by Ménez, who faked past Keylor Navas in goal before slotting it home. It was a rare error from the usually dependable Nacho, with the pass itself being a microcosm of Madrid's early attitude towards the friendly — careless!

Real Madrid would find themselves two down only 7 minutes later, as the Italian international El Shaarawy dribbled from the left wing past a timid Alvaro Arbeloa and Raphael Varane, before slotting home a low shot into the corner of Navas' net, to put the Italian side up 2-0.

A bit shell-shocked Madrid began to respond and they were finally rewarded for their efforts towards the end of the first half, thanks to none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. An excellent run through the center of the pitch from Jesé was the impetus for the goal. The youngster laid the ball off early for Ronaldo, who then looked up and spotted the ex-Madrid keeper Diego Lopez out of position. Without think much, Ronaldo instinctively placed an early shot past his former teammate, much to the delight of the packed stadium.

Ancelotti made wholesale changes in the second half, perhaps sensing Madrid comeback. The likes of Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez were all added to bolster the attack, as Ronaldo came off.

But those plans would quickly be dashed as AC Milan again stretched the lead to two goals. A quick exchange between El Shaarawy and Andrea Poli in the box, freed up the Italian youngster who smartly finished at Casillas' (who had just come on) near post. The move was aided by a slip up from Dani Carvajal, one of many by Madrid players on the slick surface.

Real Madrid would immediately respond, almost spurred on by the pending embarrassment. Jesé hit the post off a deflected shot and Benzema failed to finish it off too, when a sprawling Diego Lopez was already laying helplessly on the floor.

The once Italian giants would go even further ahead however, after a cross from substitute M'baye Niang met the head of Giampolo Pazzini for a shocking 4-1 Milan lead. A late flurry from a dejected looking Madrid side salvaged some pride towards the end of the match. Karim Benzema slotted home a penalty late in the game, after Nacho was fouled in the box. Still, despite the changed lineups and unimportance of the fixture, it was a poor performance from Real Madrid who seemed to be still stuck in a post vacation haze. Next Sunday there's a big match in La Liga for Ancelotti's men, as Real Madrid will be visiting Valencia at the Mestalla.

Author: Terrance Ross

Real Madrid line-up vs AC Milan:

Goalkeeper: Keylor Navas
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Varane, Nacho, Arbeloa
Midfielders: Illarramendi, Khedira, Isco
Attackers: Jesé Rodríguez, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chicharito.

Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
Real Madrid	vs	AC Milan
2	Goals	4
14	Shots	12
8	Shots on goal	9
9	Corner kicks	4
9	Fouls commited	4
3	Yellow cards	0
0	Red cards	0
56%	Ball possession	44%

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be a Spanish League fixture against Valencia, on the 4th of January of 2015. You can watch Juventus live stream, Valencia vs Real Madrid, Liverpool vs Leicester, Stoke City vs Man Utd, Tottenham vs Chelsea, and Southampton vs Arsenal, all matches provided from our football streams game pages.

Real Madrid next game:
Valencia vs Real Madrid kick-off time (04-01-2015):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+6: 22:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+1: 17:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+0: 16:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-4: 12:00
New York (United States) | GMT-5: 11:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-8 08:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+7: 23:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / goal.com / dailymail.co.uk / thescore.ie

[ Ronaldo photos in Real Madrid vs AC Milan / Back to News Index ]