JuicyTalk
Real Madrid made it three wins from their last four pre-season outings with a 2-1 win over Ferencvaros at the Groupama Arena in Budapest, as Jose Mourinho’s side continued to build momentum ahead of the new La Liga season.
Mario Rivas and Carlos Espi struck early in each half to give Madrid a comfortable advantage, before Kenan Kodro’s smart finish gave the Hungarian side a consolation and set up a nervy final half-hour.
It was a relatively youthful starting lineup from Mourinho, with Mbappe, Bellingham and Tchouameni among the notable absentees still recovering from World Cup commitments, and Courtois, Rodrygo and Eder Militao sidelined through injury.
But there was enough quality on show to suggest Madrid’s preparation is on track, with Arda Guler the standout performer across the first hour, creating chances consistently from his attacking midfield position.
Rivas opened the scoring in the 41st minute when Alexis Ciria whipped in a sharp delivery from a corner and the centre-back arrived at the near post to power a header into the bottom corner.
Mourinho made sweeping changes at half-time, with Bernardo Silva, Vinicius Junior and Trent Alexander-Arnold among those introduced.
Within four minutes of the restart, Federico Valverde slid a composed pass into the area and Carlos Espi arrived to finish first-time for 2-0. The young striker, who has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs this summer, has now scored in consecutive pre-season fixtures.
Ferencvaros pulled one back in the 57th minute when Kristoffer Zachariassen drove forward and found Kodro in space inside the box, the striker turning and firing into the bottom right corner.
The hosts, who arrived with greater competitive sharpness having already kicked off their domestic season and navigated Europa League qualifying, pushed hard for an equaliser in the final quarter and Lunin was forced into a sharp stop from a Zachariassen header in the 63rd minute.
