Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal in each half to power Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in a soccer friendly at Sun Life Stadium on Wednesday.
Ronaldo scored off a free-kick in the 31st minute and helped seal the victory with a header in the 57th minute in front of a crowd of 67,273.
“The team played fantastic,” Ronaldo said. “This is what we are looking for. We are getting better.”
Photo: AFP
Marcelo Vieira also scored in the 14th minute for Real Madrid in the game which culminated the eight-team, 12-game International Champions Cup tournament.
Ramires scored the lone goal for Chelsea in the 16th minute.
“We are trying to find our fitness and get the team playing the right way,” Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard said. “We could have played better.”
Photo: AFP
It was a disappointing loss for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who was facing his old club just three months after his acrimonious departure from the Spanish giants.
Mourinho left Real Madrid to rejoin Chelsea, a team he led to back-to-back Premier League titles in 2005 and 2006.
Real Madrid started quickly, outshooting Chelsea 7-2 in the first 27 minutes and opening the scoring on a goal by Marcelo.
Marcelo finished off a nice run to the goal by hammering a shot through the legs of defender Gary Cahill and past a diving Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Ramires tied it up just two minutes later as he sprinted past the defense before finishing off the play with a soft chip over charging goalkeeper Iker Casillas from in close.
The game was interrupted briefly in the second half when a Real Madrid fan ran onto the field and hugged Ronaldo, who held onto him until security arrived.
That was as close as anyone on the pitch would get to containing the mighty Ronaldo all night.
After missing a couple of early chances he finally connected for his first goal in the 31st minute. Ronaldo drew a foul and then found the back of the net with a perfectly placed bending shot from 25 feet that fooled Cech.
Ronaldo connected again in the 57th minute as he sprinted towards the goal and headed in a cross from teammate “Isco” Alarcon.
“I just tried to help my team and score goals,” Ronaldo said.
The three goals allowed by Chelsea were the first allowed in three Champions Cup tournament matches.
“We had a long preseason. We traveled to Asia for two weeks, played three games here and we got one more. It is going to be an exciting season for us,” Lampard said.
Earlier in the day, AC Milan won the third-place match by beating the LA Galaxy 2-0.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Monday wobbled through a 28-pitch first inning at home against the San Diego Padres in his first appearance on the mound since August 2023. Scheduled to throw as many as two innings, Ohtani went a single frame while allowing one run on two hits. He did not issue a walk nor strike out a batter. “Not quite happy with the results overall, but the takeaway for me is that I feel good enough to be able to make the next outing,” Ohtani said of his pitching performance. Ohtani still wound up with a positive impact
RSS