Real Madrid
López made sure of the win not long after being introduced as a substitute, picking up the ball and beating Courtois from outside the box in the 85th minute before some nifty work in the box saw Torres get on the scoresheet. Madrid hit the woodwork five times, three through Vinicius Junior, as they pushed for an equaliser before substitute López, 20, scored a stunner from distance and Torres added a third. Both Barca coach Xavi Hernandez and Madrid counterpart Carlo Ancelotti picked strong teams, with summer signings Ilkay Gündogan and Oriol Romeu starting for Barca, and new arrival Jude Bellingham in the Madrid XI.
The result hurts, but I’ll focus on the good things we did. Overall the team played well, we had a lot of opportunities. Romeu was close to putting Barca ahead in the fourth minute, firing a first-time volley against the crossbar. Five minutes later, Madrid were awarded a penalty after Ronald Araujo’s handball, but Vinicius was denied by the crossbar.
