Inter Milan defeats Real Madrid in International Champions Cup

Inter Milan v. Real Madrid / Photo by: Gregg Kowalski

Berkeley, Calif. --  The International Champions Cup tournament has returned to the United States this summer with the likes of Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Liverpool showcasing their teams.  On Saturday afternoon, Real Madrid and Inter Milan faced off at Cal Berkeley Memorial Stadium in the first game of the tournament for the two teams, both of whom are in Group A, along with Manchester United and AS Roma.

In the 3rd minute, Real Madrid worked the ball down the right side and curled a cross into the box.  Gareth Bale jumped to win the ball and his header hit the crossbar of the far post.   Soon after, Real Madrid’s Isco had an opportunity to score as well, but Nemanja Vidic, who recently made his way from Manchester United to Inter Milan, snuffed out his shot on goal.

However, in the 10th minute, Bale was open from about 25 yards out and decided to have a shot on goal.  His shot beat Inter Milan’s goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic, to the left side for a 1-0 lead as Handanovic seemed to be caught off guard by the shot.

Inter Milan tried to respond in the 22nd minute when they dribbled up the middle of the field and kicked it out wide.  The ball was then crossed in and Jonathan delivered a header that was wide of the upper corner of goal.

Inter Milan v. Real Madrid / Photo by: Gregg Kowalski

In the 30th minute, Real Madrid earned a free-kick after a yellow card was given to Inter Milan for a reckless tackle.  Bale took the free-kick and kept it low to the corner of goal, but Handanovic was ready to make the save this time.

The second half started with some fireworks, as play got chippy and several players were involved in a pushing scuffle following a fight for the ball.

Inter Milan v. Real Madrid / Photo by: Gregg Kowalski

In the 67th minute, Inter Milan showed some spark with a shot on target by Yann M’Vila, who had recently subbed into the game.  A subsequent Inter Milan corner  produced a heading shot that was deflected out.  The ball was then played back into the box and Vidic was fouled with a push to the ground as he went for the ball.

Head referee, Ricardo Salazar, gave a card and a penalty kick for the foul in the box.  Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi took the penalty kick and calmly chipped the ball into the left corner for a 1-1 tie as the goalkeeper jumped the other way.

Inter Milan v. Real Madrid / Photo by: Gregg Kowalski

Inter Milan continued to show class in the 79th minute when they created multiple chances to score, including a shot by Marco Andreolli inside the 6-yard box, and another by Icardi from 10 yards away.  Later, in the 82nd minute, Diego Laxalt took a left-footed strike from the top of the 18-yard box that was a tad over the goal.

Real Madrid had a great chance to steal the game in the final minutes with Omar Mascarell’s driven shot, but Inter Milan’s goalkeeper made the save to keep the score tied 1-1.

The game went into penalty kicks, and on the fifth and final round, Real Madrid’s Omar Mascarell took the shot and missed high over the crossbar.

Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi, who had scored during the game on an awarded penalty kick, then took the final shot and scored for Inter’s victory over Real Madrid.

Inter Milan will face Manchester United next on July 29th in Washington D.C., while Real Madrid will play AS Roma in Philadelphia on August 2nd.

Box Score

Penalty Kicks:

Real Madrid
1- #23 saved
2- #27 made
3- #18 made
4- #24 saved
5- #30 missed (high over the bar)

Inter Milan
1- #15 made
2- #55 saved
3- #90 missed
4- #5 made
5- #9 made (Inter wins)

By Brian Kowalski
Staff Reporter for TheDailySportsHerald.com