BEIJING, 3 August 2003 — David Beckham received a rapturous reception as he made his Real Madrid debut in their 4-0 victory over the China Dragon select team yesterday.
Luis Figo, Fernando Morientes (twice) and Javier Portillo scored the goals for the Spanish champions in one of the most widely watched sporting spectacles to be staged in China.
Hundreds of millions of people had access to the match via Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and millions more in Asia and Europe tuned in to watch England captain Beckham’s debut alongside the rest of Real’s dream team.
Some 65,000 fans waved five-starred Chinese flags and roared on their compatriots every time they broke down Real’s attacks and countered.
But the soccer-smitten crowd, many clad in white Real jerseys, reserved gasps of anticipation and shrieks of excitement for the moments when playmakers Beckham and Frenchman Zinedine Zidane had the ball.
Beckham, signed from Manchester United for 35 million euro on July 1, was marked tightly by Chinese international defender Li Weifeng. He produced a series of quick passes to prompt early attacks but the Chinese defense quickly smothered the danger on each occasion.
The England captain’s brightest moment came in the 20th minute when he curled a trademark free kick toward the top corner only for goalkeeper Sun Gang to punch the ball away at the last moment.
Beckham arrowed another free kick just wide of the post in the 35th minute and also produced a string of accurate long-range passes. He was eventually substituted to loud cheers from the adoring fans after 75 minutes, clapping hands above his head in appreciation.
Real opened the scoring in the 40th minute when Portuguese winger Figo, moved to the left flank by new coach Carlos Queiroz to accommodate Beckham on the right, touched the ball past goalkeeper Sun from a neat pass by Ronaldo.
Real’s fringe players embellished the scoreline with three late goals in the second half.
Morientes enhanced his claim for a first-team place when he scored Real’s second from a rebound in the 74th minute after replacement goalkeeper Jiang Jin could not hold a Roberto Carlos thunderbolt.
Morientes then cleverly dummied the goalkeeper and the Chinese defense before firing high into the net to make it 3-0 after 85 minutes. Three minutes later Portillo stabbed home the fourth.
Dortmund Snatch Draw in
Thrilling Opening Derby
In Berlin, Borussia Dortmund fought back from two goals down for a 2-2 draw with neighbors Schalke 04 in the highlight of the opening Bundesliga weekend yesterday.
Home side Schalke opened up a 2-0 lead in this traditional Ruhr Valley derby courtesy of two superb goals from Turkish newcomer Hamit Altintop in the 39th and 58th minutes.
But Dortmund, who lost their German title to Bayern Munich last season, finishing third, reduced the arrears against the run of play with a free kick from new Brazilian signing Flavio Conceicao in the 65th minute before snatching a draw courtesy of A last-gasp effort from Brazilian striker Marcio Amoroso.
Bayern, who completed their fourth domestic league and Cup double last season, launched the defense of their title on Friday with a 3-1 win over promoted Eintracht Frankfurt.
Midfielder Altintop, who joined from amateur side Wattenscheid and is just 20, caught the eye of new Schalke coach Jupp Heynckes with a thunderous drive from 25 meters and then a brilliant solo run for his two goals, as well as other flashes of brilliance.
Bayer Leverkusen, eager to recover for a nightmare run last season when they narrowly escaped relegation, made a promising start, outplaying promoted SC Freiburg 4-1 to top the standings.
The big surprise came from Hamburg, where the UEFA Cup entrants and winners of the pre-season German League Cup tournament fell 3-0 to Hanover 96.
Czech striker Jiri Stajner was inspirational in the notherners’ win, scoring a goal and setting up another. Ambitious Hertha Berlin also suffered a bruising defeat on a day with plenty of goals, losing 3-0 at home to Werder Bremen, whose Brazilian forward Ailton struck twice.
Nonda Strikes Twice to Give Monaco Perfect Start
In Paris, striker Shabani Nonda scored twice to give Monaco a perfect start to the season with a 2-0 home victory over Girondins Bordeaux yesterday.
Nonda, who scored 26 goals to finish French Ligue 1 top scorer last season, put his side in front by netting a nice 18-meter free kick in the 32nd minute.
The Burundi striker slotted home Monaco’s second from the penalty spot after Argentine defender Mauricio Pochettino fouled midfielder Jaroslav Plasil just before the hour.
The match was played in stifling heat and the two sides looked still far from their best. But Monaco confirmed they have great ambitions in the title race after they finished second just one point behind champions Olympique Lyon in May.
