Although they didn’t score in Real Madrid’s 3-0 win over Inter Milan, superstars Ronaldo and Gareth Bale put up scintillating show with their verve that fans will not forget
Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo
Guangzhou: Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo put on a scintillating first-half show as Real Madrid cruised past Inter Milan 3-0 in the International Champions Cup in Guangzhou yesterday.
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo in action during Champions Cup match against Inter Milan yesterday
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Jese, Raphael Varane and James Rodriguez got the goals for the Spanish giants on a hot and humid night, but it was the display of the two modern-day Galacticos that will live long in the memory of the 39,896 fans who packed the Tianhe stadium.
Real Madrid thumped Manchester City 4-1 in Melbourne on Friday and it always looked like they would hand out a similar hammering to Inter as they were quickly into their stride.
Benzema rested
Karim Benzema, who has been suffering with a slight thigh injury, was not risked, giving Jese a chance to play in a three-pronged attack with the world's two most expensive footballers, Ronaldo and Bale.
Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale during the International Champions Cup match against Inter Milan in Guangzhou yesterday. Pics/AFP
And it didn't take long for Ronaldo to show his intent, a neat turn in the centre circle and darting run leading to Bale being sent clear on the left in the first minute but the Welshman's cross came to nothing. Just a minute later Inter's Juan Jesus got away down the left with his cross just evading the head of the onrushing Mauro Icardi on the six-yard line.
But that was about as close as the Italian side came as Madrid took control, with Bale and Ronaldo at the heart of everything good.
Too good
On another day each might have claimed a first-half hat-trick in a rampant display. Bale first shot wide when set free by Ronaldo on the left and the Portuguese reproduced the Welshman's wastefulness minutes later.
Ronaldo then forced two classy saves from Samir Handanovic, the second from a trademark dipping and swerving 35-yard free-kick which the keeper parried over one-handed at full stretch while Bale was terrorising full-back Martin Montoya — on loan from Barcelona — with his pace.
When the breakthrough came after 29 minutes it inevitably involved the marauding Bale, who this time chose to swing a crossfield ball from right to left and find the advancing full-back Marcelo in space.
The Brazilian had time to pick out Jese near the back post with a pinpoint cross. The Spaniard turned neatly inside Jeison Murillo and found the right-hand corner of the net with a sharp left-foot finish.
>> Jese, Varane and Rodriguez score for Real
>> Real Madrid thumped Man City 4-1 on Friday
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