Francesco Totti led AS Roma to 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at Dallas' Cotton Bowl Arena on Tuesday, July 29. It was an important win for Roma having lost 3-2 to Manchester United last Saturday.
Nice taken goal by Roma legend Francesco Totti against Real Madrid
Nice taken goal by Roma legend Francesco Totti against Real Madrid
Italian legend,Francesco Totti, scored the lone strike that gave Roma victory over Real Madrid
The Roma legend, who is entering his 23rd season with the Giallorossi, swept home an Alessandro Florenzi cross after playing the young midfielder through with a sublime dummy in the 50th minute. Francesco Totti dummied the ball outside the 18-yard-box, then proceeded to follow the play and converted a one-time finish in front of goal.
Roma players celebrates Totti's goal against Real Madrid
Real Madrid pressed early and had their chances throughout a unusually spiteful match.
Real Madrid pressed early and had their chances throughout a unusually spiteful match.
In the 16th minute, Bale got on the end of a nice pass from Luka Modric. He unleashed a shot destined for the top corner, forcing Roma goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski to make the save at his near post.
Gareth Bale run after a Roma player
Bale got in behind the Roma defense in the 20th minute. Lucas Vazquez delivered a dangerous ball into the box for the Madrid winger, but Mehdi Benatia made a last-ditch tackle to eliminate the threat. Bale had another shot in the 36th minute, but Ashley Cole was in the right place to block the effort.
Bale got in behind the Roma defense in the 20th minute. Lucas Vazquez delivered a dangerous ball into the box for the Madrid winger, but Mehdi Benatia made a last-ditch tackle to eliminate the threat. Bale had another shot in the 36th minute, but Ashley Cole was in the right place to block the effort.
Benatia made another great play in the 43rd minute, clearing the danger after Vazquez's shot was saved and Pepe tried to pounce on the rebound.
In general, the 27-year-old Moroccan international was a rock at the back for Roma, often stepping in front of Madrid through balls.
Most of Roma's more dangerous attacks came through Adem Ljajic.
He supplied Juan Iturbe with a great pass in the 30th minute, but the Argentine attacker made a mess of his shot.
With a nice piece of individual effort, Ljajic opened up a small window to goal seven minutes later, but again Roma couldn't make the most of it.
Madrid probably should've had a goal or two in the first half. They were the more dangerous side and created better scoring opportunities. However, the Roma defense—Benatia in particular—was more than up to the task.
Los Blancos will rue their missed chances, as Francesco Totti put Roma ahead early in the second half. In the 58th minute, the Giallorossi executed what was their best move of the match up until that point.
After a series of nice passing, the ball fell to the feet of Seydou Keita. The Malian midfielder fed Alessandro Florenzi on the right wing, who then found Totti with a wicked low cross into the 18-yard box. You'd back the Italian to finish the job nine times out of 10, and that's exactly what he did, sending his shot into the top left corner.
Between the substitutions and Roma's switch to a more defensive style, the second half was largely without much excitement. Madrid saw most of their attacking moves snuffed out as soon as they crossed the halfway line, while the Giallorossi were content to sit back and protect their lead.
The most noteworthy moment of the second 45 came in the 87th minute, when a series of pitch invaders halted play.
For the next three minutes, stadium security and Dallas police struggled to cope with the onrushing fans, who seemed to flow from a never-ending stream. Right when one fan was being escorted off the pitch, another caught the camera's eye.
While we're not talking hundreds of fans, having even one supporter invade the pitch is too many, and it appeared at least eight to 10 fans were able to run around unabated for a time, high-fiving players and causing a nuisance.
After that brief pause, Madrid threw everything forward in an effort to score and nearly surrendered a second goal. Goalkeeper Diego Lopez came forward on a Real Madrid free kick near goal, but the ball was headed away, and the referee blew the final whistle.
Roma will certainly be encouraged by the result. Getting a 1-0 win over the reigning European champions is impressive, even if it comes in a friendly.
This match saw the first inclusion of World Cup players in the Madrid roster, highlighted by the return of Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Luca Modric, Fabio Coentrao, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Iker Casillas.
For Madrid, there's no reason to get too upset. Carlo Ancelotti opted for a slightly weaker side once again. James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo were all missing. Nobody really knows what to expect out of LosBlancos until Rodriguez and Kroos insert themselves into the lineup.
This result means Spanish giants Real Madrid are at the bottom of Group A and have lost two of their games in the International Champions Cup having lost their first game against Inter Milan via penalty shoot-out.
Real Madrid finish up the group stage of the ICC against Manchester United on Aug. 2 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Over 100,000 fans are expected to be in attendance.
Meanwhile, Roma have Inter Milan in their last fixture of the ICC group stage. The match is scheduled for Aug. 2 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
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