BANGKOK, 30 July 2005 — Real Madrid cruised to a 3-0 win over the Thailand under-23 team yesterday, ending an Asian tour reported to have netted the Spanish giants $25 million.
Real came out firing and, in front of more than 40,000 fans, Zinedine Zidane scored from the penalty spot in the seventh minute after England striker Michael Owen was brought down.
The Thais threatened little in a first half studded with slick Madrid passing and Brazilian Ronaldo slid in a second goal in the 23rd minute after a brilliant scooped pass from Raul from the halfway line put him clear. Piyawat Thongmaen should have earned a moment of glory just four minutes into the second half when a poor defensive header left the Thai with a clear chance, but the youngster fired wide.
Real began to wilt in the heat, making a rash of substitutions. Ruben de la Red scored a third three minutes from time with a simple header from a cross by Roberto Soldado, after he was put clear thanks to an incisive pass by Luis Figo. The three goals put money into rehabilitating the Andaman Coast of southern Thailand where 5,800 people were killed by the Dec. 26 tsunami. A Thai firm promised to donate 200,000 baht ($5,000) for each goal Real Madrid scored.
Chelsea Edge Out DC United
In Landover, Maryland, English Premier League champions Chelsea rallied from a goal down to overcome DC United 2-1 in a friendly on Thursday, registering a second consecutive victory in the middle leg of a three-match US tour.
Displaying little urgency in the opening exchanges, the west London side fell behind to the Major League Soccer champions in the 31st minute, when defender Bobby Boswell rose unmarked to head home a Christian Gomez corner.
The goal acted as a wake-up call for Chelsea, who were back on level terms just four minutes later after Irish winger Damian Duff had picked up a pass from new signing Shaun Wright-Phillips and driven an unstoppable shot past home keeper Nick Rimando. Chelsea continued to pile pressure on the DC United defense and Argentine striker Hernan Crespo added a second goal nine minutes into the second half, tapping in a pinpoint pass from Dutch winger Arjen Robben. Despite the victory, Chelsea coach Jose Morinho was unhappy with his team’s display before praising their spirit.
“The team was really bad in the first half and I am not happy with some players,” Morinho said.
“When they (DC United) scored, you could see the reaction. Why? Because they don’t want to lose, so that’s good.” The home side introduced Freddy Adu in the second half but the teenage prospect was unable to make an impact on the game as Chelsea dominated possession with their slick passing.
However, the 16-year-old was upbeat about the performance of his side.
“Everyone though we were going to get run off the field,” he said.
“In my opinion, we played the best team in the world and we proved we can play with them.” The English side opened their tour with a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in Massachusetts last weekend and conclude the trip with another match against the Italians in New York on Sunday.
Chelsea kick off the defense of their domestic title with an away match against promoted Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium on August 14.
