Real Madrid vs Juventus result: Karim Benzema scores again as Los Blancos dominate at Rose Bowl

Simon Borg

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Real Madrid vs Juventus result: Karim Benzema scores again as Los Blancos dominate at Rose Bowl image

Real Madrid registered a dominating victory in their final preseason match with a comprehensive 2-0 triumph over Italian giants Juventus, who were outplayed for long stretches by the European champions.

Los Merengues swarmed Juventus and applied pressure from the opening minute, and they did not relent even after the entire squad was rotated in the second half. It's a testament to the depth and culture of a Real Madrid squad that expects nothing less than to win every competition they're part of this season beginning with the Aug. 10 UEFA Super Cup.

In front of a sellout crowd of more than 93,000 at the Rose Bowl, Real Madrid showed off a fluid, flowing attack with Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr setting the tone with their interchanging and rapid-fire combinations. Vinicius earned a penalty on one of those lightning quick vertical attacks, and Benzema converted the spot kick. Another spectacular, clinical passing sequence led to the second goal by Marco Asensio in the second half.

It was a difficult night for Juventus, who looked disjointed and lacking ideas compared to Real Madrid. Juve star forward Dusan Vlahovic got his first minutes of the preseason, but he was isolated and didn't impact the match. Summer signing Angel Di Maria had his quietest preseason match with the summer load looking like it had caught up to him, and starters Paul Pogba, Wojciech Szczesny, and Weston McKennie were absent due to different injuries.

Real Madrid's next match comes on Aug. 10 in Helsinki when they face Eintracht Frankfurt for the UEFA Super Cup. Juventus will play another friendly against Atletico Madrid (Aug. 7) before opening its Serie A season against Sassuolo on Aug. 15. 

Watch the highlights below:

Real Madrid are Karim Benzema dependent

When Real Madrid supporters see a performance like the one the team put forth against Juventus, they probably can't help but get nervous thinking about life without Karim Benzema. He's not only a goal scorer, he's a catalyst for the attack. He comes back into midfield and sparks the attack with his passing combinations, dribbling moves and a vision that few talk about. He sets the tone, and Vinicius Jr is another player with Benzema on the field.

When he wasn't on the field against Barcelona in the first preseason match, the difference on the field was clear. And when he made his first appearance against Club America, the lift it gave the team was evident. But Benzema turns 35 in December and Father Time is undefeated. It's not clear what Carlo Ancelotti will do without the best player in the world when injury or age begin to weigh on him. Expect the Italian boss to manage his minutes carefully in 2022/23.

Juventus need help

While Paul Pogba, Weston McKennie, and Federico Chiesa would likely change the complexion of the Old Lady, you can't help but come away from this match feeling like Juventus are still 3-4 players away from competing with the best clubs in Europe.

Their Brazilian full-backs are not the game-changers they once were, and they need a vibrant and healthy Juan Cuadrado and Angel Di Maria — at the same time — to have effective wing play. As it stands, they were a disjointed group against Real Madrid without any real coherent plan that was evident on the field. Instead, they reacted to moments and that's not always going to work, especially without difference-makers like Pogba and Chiesa.

The Bianconeri may have spent big money to acquire Dusan Vlahovic last January, but he can't help the club if he's not provided service, and that much came through at the Rose Bowl, where he was out on an island. And when he did receive the ball, he had to go it alone against Real Madrid's defense absent any real chemistry or combination play with fellow forwards Moise Kean and Di Maria.

Juventus need health and time.

Real Madrid vs. Juventus final score

  1H 2H Final
Real Madrid 1 1 2
Juventus 0 0 0

Goals:
RMA — Karim Benzema (penalty) — 19th min.
RMA — Marco Asensio (Jesus Vallejo) — 69th min.

Real Madrid lineups:

Real Madrid 1st Half (4-3-3, right to left): Courtois — Carvajal, Militao (Rudiger 46'), Alaba, Mendy — Modric, Casemiro, Kroos — Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.

Real Madrid 64th min. (4-3-3, right to left): Courtois — Vazquez, Rudiger, Nacho, Vallejo — Ceballos, Tchouameni, Camavinga — Asensio, Hazard, Rodrygo

Juventus lineups:

Juventus 1st Half (4-3-3, right to left): Perin — Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer, Sandro — Zakaria, Locatelli, Fagioli — Di Maria (Cuadrado 46'), Vlahovic, Kean

Juventus 70th min. (4-3-3, right to left): Pinsoglio — Barbieri, Gatti, Rugani, Pellegrini — Zakaria, Ravella, Cudrig — Ake (Soule), Da Graca, Cuadrado

Real Madrid vs. Juventus live updates, highlights from preseason

Final: Real Madrid 2, Juventus 0

Full-time: Here's all you need to know about how this one went:

86th min.: Best Juventus chance of the second half. Delivery from the right side of the box crosses the face of goal and is cleared away for a corner.

83rd min.: Marco Asensio gets a yellow for a wild over-the-ball tackle on Juan Cuadrado. Totally unnecessary.

81st min.: The crowd is shouting "ole" with every Real Madrid pass. This is humiliating for Juventus.

72nd min.: Over the course of the last 10 minutes Juventus have trickled in subs, including one for a sub who was immediately injured (Ake). Here's the updated Juve squad:

Juventus lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 23-Carlo Pinsoglio (GK) — 42-Tommaso Barbieri, 15-Federico Gatti, 24-Daniele Rugani, 17-Luca Pellegrini — 28-Denis Zakaria, 13-Nicolo Ravella, 34-Nicolo Cudrig — 33-Marley Ake (30-Matias Soule), 40-Marco Da Graca, 11-Juan Cuadrado

69th min.: Goal Real! Bunch of new players for Real Madrid? Same Real Madrid. Incredible passing combination at the top of the box and Jesus Vallejo cross the ball from the left to the top of the six-yard box, where Marco Asensio punches home. Beautiful in its simplicity.

64th min.: Nine players come on for Real Madrid. Here's the new lineup:

Real Madrid lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Thibaut Courtois (GK) — 17-Lucas Vazquez, 22-Antonio Rudiger, 6-Nacho, 5-Jesus Vallejo — 19-Dani Ceballos, 18-Aurelien Tchouameni, 25-Eduardo Camavinga — 11-Marco Asensio, 7-Eden Hazard, 21-Rodrygo

62nd min.: It's a clinic from Real Madrid. Karim Benzema curls the ball that was destined for the low left corner, but Juve 'keeper Perin saves it. The Real Madrid starters don't want to come off the field. They quickly took the corner kick so that the subs couldn't make it in.

59th min.: Everyone's getting involved for Real Madrid. Dani Carvajal ripped a shot that Juve's 'keeper saved, and then Toni Kroos took a shot that finished high. Real Madrid are about to make a number of subs.

54th min.: It's been all Real Madrid to start the second half and they're playing with the same verve and inspired teamwork.

Juve's Manuel Locatelli had to make an incredible acrobatic leap to stop a clear Real Madrid chance, then Bonucci had a miscommunication with his 'keeper, and Real Madrid's David Alaba pushed all the way up from center back to fire on goal. It's not been pretty for the Italian side to start the second half.

46th min.: Second half is underway. Antonio Rudiger is in for Eder Militao. Juan Cuadrado comes in for Angel Di Maria.

Half-time: Real Madrid 1, Juventus 0

Half-time: Real Madrid with the deserved lead. From the opening whistle the European champions showed their intent. They're direct, vertical, and fast, attacking in numbers with players interchanging positions and combining well. When Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. are on the ball, things are happening.

And for as fluid as Real Madrid are, Juve's play has been stunted, disjointed and without ideas in the attack. Anything they do in the final third typically depends on Angel Di Maria's creativity, which has been absent today — it seems to be a low energy outing for him so far — or they depend on Dusan Vlahovic to create something for himself. But Vlahovic has been isolated and invisible. And there is no chemistry with Moise Kean. It's the first game that Vlahovic and Di Maria are playing together, but Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri has a lot of work to do.

44th min.: Dusan Vlahovic has been anonymous, but he gets a ball in the box only for Eder Militao to recover acrobatically and clear the ball for a corner. Nothing comes of it.

38th min.: Not much happening in the game, but what's clear is that Real Madrid are very dangerous when they're running at the Juventus back line. Juventus doesn't have as easy a time creating dangerous attacking moves. Things don't flow as well as they do for Real.

27th min.: Juventus have a case for a penalty! But the referee does not call it and there is no VAR. Ferland Mendy inexplicably passes the ball back into his own box and Angel Di Maria beats Eder Militao to the ball. It looked like a penalty. But it remains 1-0.

19th min.: Goal Real Madrid! Karim Benzema converts the penalty. Two goals in two games for the best forward in the world.

17th min.: Penalty for Real Madrid! After a bad Dusan Vlahovic giveaway, Vinicius Jr takes the ball into the box and Danilo brings him down from behind. Clear penalty.

13th min.: Juve captain Leonardo Bonucci hits the top left corner of the goal on a set piece. Wow, how this game has changed. Moments later Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria get in each other's way in the Real Madrid box. Juventus are back in this game.

11th min.: First serious attack from Juventus and it comes because left back Alex Sandro pushes all the way up to the end line. But the Juventus forwards can't finish off the play.

5th min.: Manuel Locatelli with a bad, bad tackle on Fede Valverde. No card shown, and Real Madrid execute a training ground play.

The Spanish champions are off to an electric start. It's another poor start to a match for Juventus (the same thing happened against Barcelona, with their giveaways only compounding the problems and the pressure).

1st min.: The match kicks off. Juventus are in their black-and-white stripes, while Real Madrid are in their lilac kits. After 10 seconds Real Madrid scores through Karim Benzema, but three players were offside.

10 mins from kickoff: Mr. Juventus himself is out in California rooting for the team he once repped in a big way.

75 mins from kickoff: The Real Madrid fans outside the Rose Bowl:

120 mins from kickoff: Organizers announced an official sellout 24 hours prior to the match, and fans without tickets were "highly discouraged from showing up at Rose Bowl Stadium." Meanwhile, those with tickets were told to show up two hours before the match to ensure they get in on time.

120 mins from kickoff: These are the jerseys that Real Madrid will be donning against Juventus:

Real Madrid vs. Juventus lineups

Dani Carvajal recovers from an ankle injury and starts at right back against Juventus, but Lucas Vazquez is likely to replace him at halftime given it's Carvajal's first outing of the preseason. In the only other lineup question, Federico Valverde beats out Marco Asensio and Rodrygo for the right wing position.

Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Thibaut Courtois (GK) — 2-Dani Carvajal, 3-Eder Militao, 4-David Alaba, 23-Ferland Mendy — 10-Luka Modric, 14-Casemiro, 8-Toni Kroos — 15-Federico Valverde, 9-Karim Benzema, 20-Vinicius Jr.

Real Madrid subs (18): 13-Andriy Lunin (GK), 26-Luis Lopez (GK), 30-Lucas Canizares (GK), 27-Vinicius Tobias, 17-Lucas Vazquez, 22-Antonio Rudiger, 6-Nacho, 5-Jesus Vallejo, 16-Alvaro Odriozola, 25-Eduardo Camavinga, 18-Aurelien Tchouameni, 19-Dani Ceballos, 11-Marco Asensio, 24-Mariano Diaz, 21-Rodrygo, 7-Eden Hazard, 29-Juanmi Latasa, 12-Borja Mayoral

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri previously confirmed that both Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie would be making their preseason debuts against Real Madrid, but McKennie is nowhere to be found in the squad with early reports claiming a shoulder injury. Dusan Vlahovic makes his first start alongside Angel Di Maria and Moise Kean.

Backup Juventus 'keeper Mattia Perin replaces regular Wojciech Szczesny, who has an adductor issue, while full-back/winger Juan Cuadrado starts on the bench.

Juventus starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 36-Mattia Perin (GK) — 6-Danilo, 19-Leonardo Bonucci, 3-Bremer, 12-Alex Sandro — 28-Denis Zakaria, 27-Manuel Locatelli, 44-Nicolo Fagioli — 22-Angel Di Maria, 9-Dusan Vlahovic, 18-Moise Kean

Juventus subs (12): 23-Carlo Pinsoglio (GK), 45-Giovanni Garofani (GK), 15-Federico Gatti, 24-Daniele Rugani, 42-Tommaso Barbieri, 17-Luca Pellegrini, 11-Juan Cuadrado, 30-Matias Soule, 13-Nicolo Ravella, 33-Marley Ake, 34-Nicolo Cudrig, 40-Marco Da Graca

MORE: Real Madrid fixtures in 2022/23 season

Real Madrid vs. Juventus TV channel, live stream

  U.K. USA Canada Australia
Date Sun., July 31 Sat., July 30 Sat., July 30 Sun., July 31
Time 03:00 BST 22:00 ET 22:00 ET 12:00 AEST
TV channel Premier Sports 1 FS2, Fox Deportes  —  —
Streaming Premier Player HD fuboTV, Fox Sports Go DAZN Paramount+

U.K.: This weekend's friendly between Real Madrid and Juventus from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., will be televised in the United Kingdom by Premier Sports 1 and will be available to stream on Premier Player HD.

USA: In the United States, Saturday's friendly will be broadcast on FS2 and Fox Deportes, which can both be streamed on fuboTV. The match will also be on Fox Sports streaming platform Fox Sports Go.

Canada: DAZN will carry the match for fans in Canada.

Australia: Paramount+ will stream Real Madrid vs Juventus during midday hours in Australia.

Simon Borg

Simon Borg Photo

Simon Borg is a senior editor at The Sporting News who has covered football/soccer for over a decade. A supporter of Italian club Parma Calcio from his years growing up in Europe, he was previously a long-time member of Major League Soccer's digital media team, as a multimedia content producer, on-air personality, and Editor-in-Chief. Based in New York City, Borg is multilingual and has covered the domestic and global scene for TSN since 2021.