Real Madrid kicked off their summer preparations on Sunday night with a friendly match against AC Milan. Trailing by two goals in the first half, the Madridistas relied on an excellent performance from Federico Valverde, who scored a brace, to turn the game around and secure a 3-2 victory.
Like several other top European clubs, Real Madrid is preparing for the upcoming season outside of Spain. The Merengues chose to return to the United States, where they will play several friendly matches against high-level opponents, just like last year.
In the match against AC Milan on Sunday night, Carlo Ancelotti’s men faced a tough challenge, especially in the first half, as the Italian side took the lead. Tomori rose above everyone from a corner to head the ball into the net (1-0, 25th minute), catching the Madrid defense off guard. Before the end of the first half, Milan extended their lead with a stunning goal from Luka Romero (2-0, 42nd minute). With a two-goal deficit, Real Madrid went to the dressing room feeling stunned.
In the second half, Ancelotti made several changes, including bringing on Vinicius, Modric, and Rodrygo. These decisions paid off, as the Spanish side displayed a different level of performance. Fede Valverde quickly scored two goals to level the score (57th, 59th minutes). The first goal came from a long-range shot that caught the Milan goalkeeper off guard, and the second was a beautiful strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Finally, Vinicius Junior sealed the victory for his team with a marvelous assist from Luka Modric (3-2, 84th minute). It was a fantastic comeback victory for the Merengues, although they will need to be more solid defensively in the future. One of the standout performances of the match came from the new signing, Jude Bellingham.
