Cristiano Ronaldo's Hat Trick Lifts Real Madrid To 3-0 Win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored three goals within a 9-minute span in the second half to lift Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Chivas of Guadalajara in an exhibition soccer match Wednesday night.

Ronaldo, a former world Player of the Year, had been stymied by Chivas goalie Luis Michel in the first half. Michel stopped Ronaldo on a couple of free kicks and a clear opportunity which he hit into the right side of the net in the 39th minute.

However, in the 73rd minute Ronaldo split two Chivas defenders took a pass from Karim Benzema brought it down with his left foot and kicked it with his right past goalie Michel breaking the scoreless tie.

Three minutes later Ronaldo converted a penalty kick when teammate Pepe was taken down by Chivas Omar Arliano.

Ronaldo finished off his hat trick with a blast to the lower right hand corner of the net in the 82nd minute.

Source: huffingtonpost.com

Ronaldo scores as Real Madrid beats Galaxy 4-1

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a signature goal and Real Madrid displayed its deft scoring ability to beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 4-1 in an exhibition on Saturday night.

Jose Callejon and Joselu scored 8 minutes apart in the first half and Karim Benzema converted a header in the 57th minute as the Spanish giants showed little rust in their preseason opener.

Ronaldo, who set La Liga's scoring record with 40 goals last season, entered as a halftime substitute. The Portuguese star used multiple step-over's to fake out three defenders, then fired a sharp shot with his left foot that found its way inside the near post.

David Beckham wore the captain's band for the Galaxy against his former team but failed to make an impact before being removed for a substitute in the 61st minute.

Adam Cristman scored the Galaxy's lone goal, redirecting Antonio Adan's save with a header into the net.

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David Beckham excited about Galaxy vs Real Madrid clash

David Beckham is looking forward to facing his former club Real Madrid when the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Spanish giants in a football friendly at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.

Beckham played four seasons with Real Madrid, after he moved from Manchester United in 2003.

“I spent four amazing years at Real Madrid. To go from a club like Manchester United to Real Madrid, it really doesn?t get much better than that in football.

“To be facing Real Madrid for the first time since I left, it’s emotional,” Beckham said. “You get attached to a club, you get attached to people in a club.”

“I’ve got many friends still there, many friends as players and fans and throughout the club as well.”

When these teams met last year in a friendly, Beckham didn’t play, but the Galaxy took a 2-0 lead in front of a massive crowd 89,000 at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena.

However, Madrid rallied to win the match 3-2, much to the disappointment of Beckham, who couldn’t play because he was recovering from an injury.

“It was disappointing because you always want to play in those games,” Beckham said. “They?re exciting games, especially in front of a capacity crowd. Hopefully I?ll be good for this one.”

Madrid again is expected to field a strong line up with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil among others.

Source: www.sportingalert.com

Beckham dreams of Jose link

Los Angeles - David Beckham says playing for Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho would be a "dream."

Mourinho was honored as FIFA Coach of the Year in January, then guided Madrid to a runner-up finish in the Spanish league and a Copa del Rey title over Barcelona.

"To have had the chance to be coached by him, would have been any player's dream," Beckham said on Tuesday. "And of course my dream, as well."

Beckham, who spent four years with Madrid, will play against his former team for the first time since leaving when the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Spanish heavyweights in a friendly on Saturday.

Beckham was with Madrid from 2003-07, helping the club win their last Spanish league title in his final season before joining the Galaxy.

"I spent four amazing years at Real Madrid. To go from a club like Manchester United to Real Madrid, it doesn't really get much better than that in football," Beckham said. "To be facing Real Madrid for the first time since I left, it's emotional. Because you get attached to the club, you get attached to the people at the club."

Real Madrid arrived in Los Angeles late on Monday to begin their pre-season camp in advance of a three-game US tour.

It marks the second consecutive year Madrid have held a camp in Southern California. Mourinho said it's not a coincidence his team is back training under the sunny skies.

"The freedom that we have here is good. In Europe, our lives are socially difficult," Mourinho said. "Here, the players feel some freedom. They can walk in the streets, they can be together and share some time together. It is important for the players to build team spirit."

While Madrid will be easing their way back into form, they will be matched up against a squad that is already in mid-season shape. The Galaxy currently lead the Major League Soccer competition and are unbeaten in 12 straight league games.

Galaxy captain Landon Donovan said his squad is more focused on winning league games than friendlies, but added that the chance to play one of the world's best teams is exciting.

"We're no Real Madrid, we don't play games like this every week," Donovan said. "A lot of our guys will have an incredible experience. And we want to make the most of it. We want to put on a good show."

The showdown will be a rematch from last August when Madrid scored three second-half goals to win 3-2. Beckham was unable to play in the match due to an Achilles injury.

Mourinho relishes the prospect of playing three teams that want to give Madrid more than a tough workout.

"The competition is very good," he said. "They play hard, they play strong, but they play fair. They want to win. They don't want to play a defensive match, like we have sometimes in Europe."

Source: www.sport24.co.za