Real Madrid have concluded their short pre-season schedule in dominant and impressive fashion, securing a thumping 4-0 victory over Austrian side WSG Tirol in their one and only friendly of the summer on Tuesday evening.
The story of the match began with a hugely emotional goal for the traveling side. Central defender Éder Militão, making his first start for the club since recovering from his second major ACL injury, opened the scoring with a powerful looping header from a Brahim Díaz cross, marking a triumphant return to the lineup.
After that, it quickly became the Kylian Mbappé show. The club’s new number 10, who looked sharp and hungry, doubled Madrid’s lead before halftime with a thunderous left-footed strike following a swift turn. He then expertly completed his brace just before the hour mark, calmly dribbling past the opposition goalkeeper to make it 3-0.
With the game comfortably won, manager Xabi Alonso made a host of changes. Notably, Rodrygo, who was left on the bench at the start amid intense transfer speculation about his future, was introduced and quickly got on the scoresheet himself, slotting home the team’s fourth goal after a brilliant piece of skill and an assist from Mbappé.
The comfortable win also provided a great opportunity for some of the club’s new signings to impress. Left-back Álvaro Carreras was particularly impressive in his first-ever game for the club, while fellow newcomers Dean Huijsen and Trent Alexander-Arnold also played their part in securing the clean sheet.
It was the perfect end to pre-season preparations for Xabi Alonso’s side. After a humbling defeat in the Club World Cup final, this dominant performance—led by a firing Kylian Mbappé and featuring the emotional return of Éder Militão—gives the team a massive confidence boost ahead of their La Liga opener against Osasuna next week.