On Sunday evening, avid football fans gathered to witness several stars taking the field in a friendly pre-season match between Real Madrid vs Milan Both teams showcased impressive performances, making it a delightful spectacle to watch.
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Real Madrid secured a 3-2 victory over AC Milan, with Vinicius Junior leading the charge in the second half. Although they trailed 2-0 at halftime, the real highlight of the enthralling 90 minutes came in the form of Federico Valverde’s rapid-fire brace that brought Madrid level before Vinicius Junior secured the win just six minutes before the final whistle.
New signings Christian Pulisic and Jude Bellingham, who have recently joined Milan and Madrid respectively, added to the excitement. They had a significant impact in the first half, with Pulisic providing a crucial assist for an early goal.
During the interval, Milan had to reflect on their mistakes to bring back their best game, especially when their backup goalkeeper, Marco Sportiello, offered Madrid the first opportunity, followed by a terrible back-pass that handed them another chance.
ESPN analyst Shaka Hislop also shared his insights during the pre-match coverage, reassuring fans that Hislop was doing well and should be fully recovered from any illness by the time that scary moment arrived.
Real Madrid vs AC Milan Here are the starting lineups for the match
Real Madrid (4-4-2, from right to left): Lunin (GK) – Odriozola, Militao (Alaba, 46′), N. Fernandez (Rudiger, 46′), Mendy (F. Garcia, 46′) – F. Valverde, Bellingham (Paz, 63′), Camavinga (Chaudhary, 46′), Kroos (Modric, 46′) – Benzema (Rodrigo, 46′), Jovic (Vinicius Junior, 46′).
AC Milan (4-3-3, from right to left): Sportiello (GK – Magnani, 70′) – Calabria (Salemakers, 70′), Simic (Kjaer, 70′), Tomori (Theviaz, 70′), Florenzi (T. Hernandez, 70′) – Krunić (Renato Sanches, 70′), Loftus-Cheek (Tonali, 70′), Pobega (D. Kite, 70′) – Messias (Romero, 32′), Colombo (Giroud, 70′), Pulisic (Leo, 70′).
Real Madrid vs AC Milan: Full-time Score: Real Madrid 3-2 AC Milan
What a turnaround for Real Madrid after trailing by two goals at halftime! Federico Valverde’s performance was the real catalyst for their comeback, netting all three goals. AC Milan had to rue their mistakes, but both sides showed great potential, and managers must focus on addressing the issues in this pre-season phase, taking it with a pinch of salt.
Overall, both teams put on an entertaining show for the fans, and the new signings like Christian Pulisic and Jude Bellingham shone brightly for their respective clubs. Vinicius Junior’s goal at the end sealed the deal for Real Madrid in a thrilling 90 minutes!
Real Madrid vs AC Milan – Second Half
90th minute: Opportunity for Milan! Wow! Olivier Giroud takes a free-kick from 28 yards out, aiming for the top right corner, and it comes very close, just inches off the mark. Andrew Lunin could do nothing but watch it sail past!
Certainly, the referee decided to indicate an additional duration of three minutes.
87th minute: Chance for Milan! Raphael Leão makes a precise delivery from the left, and it finds Tijani Renders in acres of space. The Dutchman must take his time, considering his options, but he slides in for the first-time shot, and it gets blocked. Luke Romero’s follow-up is dangerous but ends up in the side-netting! What a double chance!
84th minute: Goal! Madrid! Real Madrid has turned this match around and taken the lead! Vinicius Junior scores a fantastic goal to put them ahead! Federico Valverde executed an excellent tackle in midfield, and Luka Modric provided a brilliant long pass for the Brazilian player. Vinicius outpaced Simon Kjaer and left Mike Megganan behind, finishing with a clinical shot.
Tackle, delivery, run, finish – that’s how Carlo Ancelotti must have drawn it up in pre-season friendlies!
Real Madrid vs Milan 3-2 – All Goals & Highlights 2023
77th minute: Chance for Milan! The Italians are still in the hunt! Rafael Leão invites Olivier Giroud with a right-footed cross, and the French international produces a powerful header. But Lunin comes to the rescue with a fantastic save! We are still level here!
74th minute: Chance for Milan! Oliver Giroud’s shot is denied by Andriy Lunin! Rafael Leão provides a perfect pass, and Giroud, the French international, creates a high-quality header, but Lunin makes an astonishing save! We are still in for a thrilling finish!
75th minute: Opportunity for Milan! Alexis Saelemaekers tries his hand at playing right-back, which is an interesting choice as he is a natural winger. That may tell us something about Milan’s new players.
As for Christian Pulisic in this team, he’s standing out among other players who are experiencing changes in their positions.
70th Minute: Changes have occurred now. The field is buzzing with the entry of ten new players for Milan. We’ll try our best to figure out who they are. Christian Pulisic has left the field, so his night is over, and Rafael Leão is now on the pitch for Milan.
68th Minute: There’s a change in Milan’s lineup; at least six new players will soon step onto the field. Milan takes a few minutes to make their substitutions, and their initial players seem quite exhausted. Real changes take time, and this match will take a full 90 minutes!
As they wait on the sidelines, Real Madrid quickly takes a throw-in to prevent Milan from making substitutions. The ball reaches Rodrigo, who gets a chance to score, but unfortunately, he misses the target.
63rd Minute: Amidst the applause from the crowd, Jude Bellingham is replaced by Niko Paź. He had an extraordinary performance throughout the match.
59th Minute: Goal! Madrid! It only took Federico Valverde two minutes to bring Madrid back into the game! Marco Sportiello couldn’t do anything as Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori played an amazing square pass, and Valverde seized it, powering it into the net.
Luciano Spalletti is ahead on the touchline. He can hardly believe that Milan has scored two goals in just two minutes against Madrid!
57th Minute: Goal! Madrid! Oh no, it’s Marco Sportiello’s howler! Federico Valverde scores, but it was all about the egg on the face of Madrid’s goalkeeper! Valverde’s shot was weak and from a distance, but Sportiello somehow misjudges it, and it slips under his body like a grounder. Madrid gets another goal.
55th Minute: A chance for Madrid! Rodrigo has created the best opportunity for Real Madrid in the match! Started with a fabulous passing move by Luka Modric, the ball reaches Rodrigo after passing two more Madrid players. The young Madrid winger dribbles inside, cuts, and fires a shot into the goal from outside the penalty area, taking it from his right foot instead of his left.
It’s a goal anywhere, but he hits it within Marco Sportiello’s reach, who makes a good save diving to his left. Madrid is pushing hard to equalize!
53rd Minute: The start of the second half was a bit disorganized, with very little action. It seems like Madrid’s players are still finding their footing, while Milan’s players might be a bit tired, considering the intensity of this match. Both sides are somewhat affected by the situation.
47th Minute: After no bookings in the entire first half, we received our first yellow card in the second half, as Luca Romero entered recklessly on Luka Modric and earned a well-deserved caution.
Kickoff: As expected, Real Madrid has made several changes, a total of eight. Vinícius Júnior, Antonio Rüdiger, David Alaba, and Rodrigo look like they might be among the ones who will stay for a while. It appears they have returned to their regular 4-3-3 formation, with Federico Valverde advancing in the front line.
On the other hand, AC Milan doesn’t have any restrictions at this point. Since it’s their second friendly match of the summer, they can make changes freely during the hour mark.
Halftime: Real Madrid 0-2 AC Milan
The first half concluded with Real Madrid trailing behind. In truth, the scoreline is quite harsh for the Liga giants, as they were good for most of the first half but were punished by Milan in the final few moments, where they lacked self-discipline.
For Madrid, Jude Bellingham and Brahim Díaz were impressive and came close to success, but they couldn’t find the final touch. Christian Pulisic performed well for Milan, earning praise even for his defensive contributions.
After the halftime break, we might witness numerous changes in both teams, especially considering that it’s the first pre-season match for many Madrid players, and they might not have enough players fit for 60 or 90 minutes of play.
Real Madrid vs AC Milan: First Half
45th Minute: Still in search of their first goal, Real Madrid has the ball on the right-wing near the byline with Federico Valverde. He delivers a quality cross right in front of the goalmouth, but Marko Sportiello leaps perfectly to clear it away from danger.
42nd Minute: Goal! Milan! What a strike! Real Madrid had been controlling the game with a firm grip in the last 10 minutes, but suddenly Luka Romero comes out of nowhere and doubles Milan’s lead to 2-0!
38th Minute: Real Madrid has dominated the match to a great extent and troubled Milan in their penalty area on several occasions. However, the Italian club’s goalkeeper has not allowed any shots from the trees to threaten him so far.
32nd Minute: Junior Messias had to leave the field quickly; it seemed like he was struggling with an injury, and the club decided not to take any risks. In his place, 18-year-old Luca Romero, who came on a free transfer from Lazio this summer, enters the match.
28th Minute: Opportunity for Milan! They are electric on the counter! Ruben Loftus-Cheek sprints down the Madrid backline and feeds Junior Messias, who keeps charging. He takes a shot from outside the penalty area, but it narrowly misses the far post!
25th Minute: Goal! Milan! A set-piece results in the opening goal, and the Italian side takes the lead! It wasn’t someone else but Cristian Pulisic who sent it in, right in the center of the six-yard box. Andriy Lunin couldn’t control his area well, leaving Fikayo Tomori open to lead his zone.
22nd Minute: Opportunity, Real Madrid! Jude Bellingham showcases his incredible dribbling skills, evading defenders under heavy pressure and trying to take off, but Milan’s defenders stop him. Toni Kroos gathers the rebound, but he couldn’t find the target.
What a fantastic attempt by Bellingham! He could do this all day, an on-ball magician!
20th Minute: Ruben Loftus-Cheek is getting treated for his knock. He’s up now and walking towards the touchline, but he looks a bit disappointed. A player who has struggled with injuries throughout his career.
17th Minute: Opportunity, AC Milan! Lorenzo Colombo almost creates a moment of pure brilliance! He was gifted by Real Madrid, and he unleashes a half-volley, but it’s high and wide!Such a breathtaking display of skill and finesse, that goal had the potential to become the stuff of legends.
14th Minute: For now, this match is end-to-end action! First, Milan wants to send a cross from the right side into the penalty area, but it’s intercepted by Madrid’s goalkeeper, Andriy Lunin. Madrid goes straight on the other way and threatens as Brahim Diaz and Jude Bellingham combine, but Joselu, who is lurking behind the Milan backline, goes offside.
The Rose Bowl crowd is absolutely loving it!
9th Minute: Christian Pulisic advances with his first attack and claims territory in the left side of the penalty area. Junior Messias is well guarded, and an excellent clearance is made when his delivery almost reaches its target. A positive sign that he has integrated quickly into the setup.
7th Minute: Opportunity, Real Madrid! Federico Valverde, who likes to shoot from distance, takes a good hit from about 25 yards centrally, and it produces a low fizz that just misses the far post! It was very, very close. Real Madrid has kept their pressure on.
4th Minute: It seems that AC Milan is playing with a 4-3-3 formation, just as we anticipated. Pulisic, with his home nation in front of him, is pushing forward in attack against the Rose Bowl crowd. Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud aren’t visible in the lineup, but at the start of a preseason, it’s not a big surprise, and both are likely to come on during the second half at some point.
Kickoff: They are underway at the Rose Bowl. The field saw the presence of two major signatories right from the beginning. It’s an exciting moment, and the broadcast team is filled with enthusiasm.
We hope Shaka Hislop is alright as he just appeared live on the pre-match coverage for ESPN without any mention of his health. We’ll keep a close eye on his well-being once the match begins Real Madrid vs Milan
Real Madrid vs AC Milan: Pre-match commentary, analysis, stats, and much more
Kickoff in 5 minutes: While we are excited for this match to begin, our thoughts have quickly turned to ESPN analyst Shaka Hislop, who just appeared on the network’s pre-match coverage. It was a very frightening moment, and the broadcast team was quite distressed.
We are hopeful that, for now, it doesn’t seem to have postponed the match, which is a positive sign.
Kickoff in 15 minutes: The players have taken to the field for warm-ups, and the match is about to begin!
Kickoff in 30 minutes: Real Madrid has already brought in Jude Bellingham for a hefty sum, but could there be another big signing coming in? With the unsettled situation between PSG and Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid is always just a step away from making headlines.
The fans in California surely want that to happen tonight!
Kickoff in 40 minutes: The Rose Bowl is the venue for tonight’s matchup. A renowned venue that has hosted some of the most memorable football matches on American soil, including the 1994 World Cup final in which Brazil defeated Italy in a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
The stadium has a capacity of approximately 92,500, and we’ll see if we can reach that figure tonight.
Kickoff in 55 minutes: AC Milan’s lineup looks strong as well, and as expected, Christian Pulisic is making attacking moves against the Rose Bowl crowd. Raphael Leao and Olivier Giroud aren’t visible in the lineup, but this isn’t a huge surprise at the start of the preseason, and both are likely to come on at some point during the second half.
What’s interesting is Stefano Pioli has switched to a 4-3-3 formation, which he had success with last season, after previously using a 4-2-3-1 setup. Then again, once different players enter and exit this friendly match, that could change.
Kickoff in 1 hour 5 minutes: Real Madrid’s lineup is in, and it looks like we might see a 4-4-2 diamond formation, which Carlo Ancelotti has been experimenting with in recent training sessions. Eduardo Camavinga is sitting at number 6, while Jude Bellingham is at number 10. Toni Kroos occupies a central spot, and Federico Valverde is in the other midfield position.
This gives Brahim Diaz the responsibility of partnering with Joselu up top, which could grant Brahim more freedom to roam and find space.
This places the onus on Brahim Diaz to partner with Joselu up top, granting Brahim more freedom to roam and find space, as Brahim Diaz has the responsibility of partnering with Joselu up top.
Kickoff in 1 hour 15 minutes: Real Madrid will be playing tonight in their new black away kit, which features grey and gold accents. It’s a really nice getup!
Captain’s Armband Will Be Worn: Nacho Fernandez Dancing. Kick-off in 1 hour 30 minutes: Christian Pulisic can no longer remain the only American in AC Milan after the end of summers. Crucial reports suggest that Italian club Unus Musah is also trying to offload him from Valencia, as the Spanish club narrowly avoided relegation last year.
Musah is playing out of position in Valencia, and they are keen to deploy him elsewhere, but he is more suitable for the number 6 role, where he could replace Sandro Tonali in Milan. This move would be a smart investment for the club.
Kick-off in 1 hour 45 minutes: While Christian Pulisic started his life at AC Milan, another high-profile player debuted at Real Madrid. Jude Bellingham’s move to the summer transfer window is the biggest accomplishment, as Madrid has fully restored its midfield.
At just 20 years old, Bellingham is not just a player for the future – he is already among the world’s top five midfielders. Last year, among all midfielders in the top 5 European leagues, Bellingham ranked in the top 90th percentile or higher in the following statistics: goals (99th), expected goals (97th)
In the statistical rankings, the team excelled in several key areas: they secured an impressive 94th place in shots, demonstrated their prowess with the 93rd spot in shot-creating actions, displayed their tactical acumen with a notable 94th position in progressive passes, showcased their dynamic gameplay with a remarkable 92nd rank in progressive carries, exhibited their players’ exceptional skills with an impressive 99th place in successful take-ons, and proved their control and involvement in the game by securing the 98th spot in touches.
High quantity, high success – he is already a superstar, and at such a young age, he possesses immense ability. And yes, he can defend too. The world is at Bellingham’s feet.
Kick-off in 2 hours: Christian Pulisic is set to be a big hit tonight as the USMNT forward is ready to begin his second season with his new club.
There has been much speculation about where Pulisic will play at Milan, and it is likely that Stefano Pioli will rotate him between a comprehensive role and the number 10 position. The team is blooming in both positions, but Pulisic seems to be ahead in the early race to secure one of those spots, while Milan is figuring out how to reduce fat.
Wearing the number 11 shirt, Pulisic got his first minutes with Milan against FC Luzern on Thursday and, while the competition wasn’t at the highest level, he registered two assists and hit the post with a shot.
Real Madrid vs AC Milan lineup and team news
The only player struggling with an injury in the Real Madrid team is Dani Ceballos, who is unavailable until September due to a thigh injury sustained during training about a week ago. Otherwise, Carlo Ancelotti has his full roster available for selection, meaning he can field an XI for the first half and make significant changes after the break.
Karim Benzema is no longer with the Spanish club as he moved to Saudi Arabia at the start of this summer. However, Jude Bellingham has already started integrating into his new team, and other new signings such as Jules Koundé, Arda Güler, and Fran Garcia may also join here. Brahim Diaz, who is like a new signing for Real Madrid, will face his former club in this match, as he recently returned from a two-year loan spell at AC Milan and signed a new deal with Madrid.
Real Madrid confirmed starting lineup (4-3-3): Lunin (GK) – Al. Vazquez, Militao, N. Fernandez, Mendy – F. Valverde, Bellingham, Camavinga, Kroos – B. Diaz, Jovic.
Real Madrid subs (14): Cortois (GK), P. Pinero (GK), F. Garcia, Carvajal, Odriozola, Alaba, Ruggeri, Tchouameni, Modric, Paiz, Güler, Vinicius, Rodrigo.
AC Milan has made several deals this summer. While Sandro Tonali has departed for Newcastle United and Brahim Diaz has returned to his original club Real Madrid (and could feature tonight), there have been numerous arrivals as well.
Christian Pulisic begins his journey from his homeland as Stefano Pioli wants a crucial player to connect with his new teammates. New signings Noah Okafor, Tijani Reghba, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Luka Romero, and Marco Sportiello are also here at the club, but only Loftus-Cheek makes it to the starting lineup.
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