Only preseason can through up a scene like this: two European giants going head-to-head in front of a packed out Rose Bowl, two new kit debuts and several player debuts, including a certain young Englishman. Luckily we were there, camera in hand to capture it all for the latest instalment in our ‘Framed’ series.
Plenty of teams have headed Stateside for their preseason preparations ahead of the 23/24 season, and two giants of the European game faced off as part of the 2023 Soccer Champions Tour games, with Carlo Ancelotti lining up Real Madrid against another of his old clubs in AC Milan. Plenty of star on show for the American audience, with Jude Bellingham making his debut for Los Blancos, and U.S. star Christian Pulisic likewise making marking his first performance in a Milan shirt.
Milan withstood an early onslaught from Real before going on to create chances of their own, Tomori breaking the deadlock in the 25th minute with a towering header to turn home debutant Christian Pulisic's corner. Romero – on as a substitute for the injured Messias – then rifled home a second from range with just his second touch of the ball. Towards the end of the game Milan looked like they were getting back into the game, but Vini Jr broke free of Kjær on the break to make it 3-2 In the 90th minute.
The second half saw Madrid in the ascendancy, and they halved the deficit and then equalised in the space of a few minutes, both goals coming from Valverde and both as a result of errors from the Rossoneri.
Milan continue their preseason tour in the U.S. with matches against Juventus on Thursday and Barcelona on 1 August, while Madrid play Manchester United on Wednesday and take on Barcelona in a preseason El Clasico in Arlington, Texas, on 29 July, followed by their last match in the U.S. versus Juventus on 2 August.
Photography by SoccerBible.
