Real Madrid 2-2 (3-2 on pens) Arsenal
In what was a highly-contested matchup, Real Madrid have sent a powerful message by completing a stunning comeback against Arsenal in the 2019 International Champions Cup.
Bucking a slow first half, Los Blancos fought back thanks to two quick goals at the start of the second half by forwards Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio.
Gareth Bale, who was deemed as unwanted by the fans and their team manager, proved his worth once again by providing quality minutes off the bench for Real.
The match eventually went to a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw.
Bale missed his spot-kick early on, and a score by Reiss Nelson helped Arsenal in their cause. However, missed opportunities by Gunners Granit Xhaka, Nacho Monreal, and Robbie Burton proved costly and Los Blancos ran away with the 3-2 victory.
The International Champions Cup 2019 odds for Real Madrid to win the whole thing just increased with this big win and momentum is currently on their side.
SBOBET takes a look at what happened during this thrilling game between two of Europe’s finest clubs.
Highlights of the game
Fans are expecting some International Champions Cup 2019 highlights in this match and both of these clubs gave them a good show.
Arsenal were captained by Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette while Real Madrid had Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard and Luka Jovic to lead their offensive attack.
Nacho had his troubles early on after he inadvertently kicked Sead Kolasinac’s right hand and torso trying to clear the ball on his shoulder. The referee didn’t pull out a card but it was a different story altogether a few minutes later.
Approaching towards the eight-minute mark of the first half, Lacazette’s goal attempt hit Nacho’s hand with another defender on the floor, and the referee subsequently gave Nacho a red card.
Lacazette then stepped up to sneak in a penalty with the ball bouncing off both posts right past Navas, putting his team into the driver’s seat.
Mendy, on the other hand, tried to chip in one after blazing past an Arsenal defender. However, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was there to save the day.
A few minutes later, Lacazette used his deft touch to flick the ball over to the speeding Aubameyang for an impressive finish – giving them a 2-0 lead.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos levelled the playing field at 10v10 after two straight infractions. The Arsenal defender took out both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in successive encounters, and he made matters worse by venting out his frustrations in the pitch.
Real Madrid’s attack got going with multiple shots on target. Carvajal missed two chances at the goal towards the end of the half after a stout defence by Arsenal, giving both sides a chance to reboot.
Gareth Bale made his appearance in the second half and his impact was felt right away. The Welsh forward scored Real Madrid’s first goal at around the 56th minute after Emiliano Martinez lost the handle of the ball after the initial save.
Three minutes later, Marco Asensio knotted the game at 2-2 – thanks to a wonderful cross by Marcelo leading to a good finish. Marcelo had been enormous for Los Blancos’ attack all game.
Thibaut Courtois, who came on for Navas at half-time, kept the Gunners at bay in the second half, bringing the game to the penalty shootout.
Arsenal forward Reiss Nelson drew first blood after scoring past Courtois’ outstretched arms. Gareth Bale missed his attempt and things looked momentarily bleak for Real.
After being down 0-1 in penalties, Los Blancos turned to Isco, Raphael Verane, and Vinicius Junior to bring their first victory home in front of the raucous crowd in FedExField.
It was a great bounce back win for Real after losing to Bayern Munich in their first game of the tournament.
Despite the loss for the English club, expectations are still high for team manager Unai Emery as he’s expected to deliver in the last year of his current contract.
Key statistics
Possessions were evenly distributed between these two teams (Real Madrid at 49 per cent, Arsenal at 51 per cent)
The Unai Emery-mentored squad had ball movement as their point of emphasis with 505 passes made compared to only 478 of Real Madrid.
Arsenal missed their chance to go home and finish their US trip with a 100-per cent record with their narrow loss against Real Madrid.
What’s next?
Real Madrid are slated to face fellow Spanish club Atletico Madrid at the MetLife Stadium on July 26, 2019.
Arsenal have no more matches left in the tournament as they’ll wait upon the results of the remaining games of the other teams.
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