LOS ANGELES — Real Madrid flexed their muscle against the LA Galaxy as the Spanish giants imposed their will on Major League Soccer's top club in a 4-1 whitewash before 56,211 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday evening.
The match was Real Madrid's first preseason game of the 2011-12 campaign, but it hardly looked that way. Madrid's deep and talented roster was too much for the Galaxy to handle as José Callejón, Joselu, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema did the damage for Real Madrid.
Adam Cristman pulled a goal back for the Galaxy, heading in a rebounded shot in the 67th minute.
Madrid opened preseason less than one week ago and the club looked rusty and lethargic at the start. About the only player who looked in fine form off the bat was Kaká, who was the Merengues’ most dangerous player early on.
After half-an-hour, Madrid shook off their rust. Sean Franklin took a poor touch in the 31st minute, allowing Real to control the ball. Kaká wound up with it and found Callejón unmarked on the right side of the box. Callejón ripped a shot past Josh Saunders, who’d earlier made several stops to keep it scoreless.
Nine minutes later Joselu took control of a poor clearance by David Beckham and slipped it past Saunders’ right post, making it 2-0.
At halftime, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena took off both Landon Donovan and Juan Pablo Ángel while José Mourinho brought on Ronaldo, Benzema and Xabi Alonso. It was telling.
Ronaldo made an instant impact. Eight minutes into the second half, the attacker took control of the ball outside the box. He danced, side-stepped and drifted past Bryan Jordan and beat second-half substitute Brian Perk from close range.
Five minutes later, Fábio Coentrão made a nifty run past the Galaxy defense, took control of the ball and crossed to Benzema, who buried the ball past Perk.
Beckham's first match against his former club came to an end in the 62nd minute when Arena took him out of the game.
The Galaxy got a goal back when Jovan Kirovski tested second-half substitute Antonio Adan from about 10-yards out. Adan made the save but the rebound came off to Cristman who knocked the ball into the back of the net.
LA return to action on July 20 when they host Columbus at the Home Depot Center.
