Real Madrid 0-0 AC Milan (10-9 Pens): Teenage goalkeeper not good enough to see the Rossoneri past Los Blancos

Date: 30th July 2015 at 4:38pm
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Real Madrid won 10-9 in a penalty shoot-out against AC Milan in Shanghai to lift the Chinese edition of the International Champions Cup.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Bacca came closest to winning the game for their respective sides in normal time. In the end it was disappointment for AC Milan’s teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who missed from the spot to hand Los Blancos the ICC trophy.

Milan were bright from the off with coach Sinisa Mihajlovic looking for his side to feed off their recent narrow victory over city rivals Inter in Shenzhen City.

Luca Antonelli produced the games first chance with a dazzling run as the 28-year-old drove through a vast hole in the Real defence, only to be denied by the speed and awareness of Raphael Varane to block the shot out in front of goalkeeper Keylor Navas.

Milan were dominating and the lively Mbaye Niang proved a nuisance for Pepe and co in the Real defence, in the opening quarter of an hour but unfortunately the striker only had one shot down the throat of Navas to show for it.

As the game limped towards half-time, the 20-year-old Niang produced a lung-bursting run from inside his own half before showing great feet and tenacity to get round Pepe only to be denied by a brave save by Navas.

Niang’s work was done as Bacca and Luiz Adriano were among the many substitutes for the start of the second half but it was a pair of subs for Los Blancos who nearly broke the deadlock.

Jese easily got around Antonelli before his pull back found Toni Kroos, the German’s strike from the edge of the box deflected wide, however, for a corner.

Real were sluggish in the first 45 minutes in their fourth game in twelve days across Australia and China but Rafael Benitez’s changes gave them a necessary spark.

Ronaldo had been anonymous in the first half but trickery from Isco gave him a first real look at goal, but his back-post header was blocked by ex-Real keeper Diego Lopez.

Milan responded with a stunning effort from Bacca, the Colombian produced a stunning dipping volley from the edge of the area that was only bettered by a superb, full stretch save from Kiko Casilla, replacement for Navas at the break.

With penalties looming, Mihajlovic sent Alessandro Matri on for Philippe Mexes and it paid off as the Italian smashed his penalty in as the opening five spot-kicks were all converted successfully.

That sequence was broken by Bacca as he sent his past the post only for 16-year-old keeper Donnarumma to save the Colombian’s blushes by denying World Cup winner Kroos.

It went to sudden death and no-one blinked until Casilla came out on top in the battle of the goalkeepers, scoring and then saving from Donnarumma to add the Chinese ICC title to Real’s Australian crown.

 

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