24.07.2013 » Lyon 2-2 Real Madrid. Ancelotti keeps testing players and formations

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Real Madrid got stopped in Lyon this Wednesday night, in a 2-2 draw against Rémi Garde side. Cristiano Ronaldo started the game and still played for roughly 63 minutes before getting substituted by Alvaro Morata. The Portuguese star left the field with the Merengues already trailing by two goals and saw from the bench his teammates levelling things out in the "Stade de Gerland", with goals from Morata and Casemiro.

Real Madrid didn't succeed getting their second straight win in the pre-season, as they travelled to Lyon this Wednesday night and couldn't come out with a better result than a 2-2 draw. Alvaro Morata from the penalty kick spot and Casemiro with a header, scored the goals that allowed the Merengues to get back into the game and still come out with a positive result. Cristiano Ronaldo had a few more minutes on the pitch than what he had been given against Bournemouth (45 minutes), but this time he failed to find the back of the net. Real Madrid will now face PSG next Saturday, in a match that will be played in Gothenburg's Ullevi Stadium, in Sweden.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Lyon vs Real Madrid
Lyon 2-2 Real Madrid goals and highlights:

If there is a right time to test out players and new formations, that's surely during the pre-season. Carlo Ancelotti changed three players from the line-up he had used against Bournemouth just 3 days ago, bringing Cheryshev to the left-back position, Illarramendi as a defensive midfielder and Angel Di María into one of the wings. The former Malaga player Isco sticked to his midfielder role together with Mesut Ozil, while Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo were in charge of the more attacking duties. At the back, Diego López continued being Ancelotti's first choice, Nacho and Pepe were the centre defenders and Carvajal played as the right-back.

Lyon has clearly shown the advantages of going into these kind of games in a way more advanced stage of the pre-season preparation. The French side has kicked off with their training and workouts in the beginning of July, roughly 2 weeks before the Merengues. That probably won't have much impact if the two teams face each other in September or any other time during the season, but right now, it allowed Rémi Garde's side to put a significantly higher level of intensity into the game.

The first goal was basically the best play in the whole match. With 20 minutes played in the first half, Lyon's number 10 Alexandre Lacazette, picked up a pass close to the right side-line and immediately raised his head looking for a teammate inside Real Madrid's penalty area. He spotted Grenier arriving just there and didn't hesitate in crossing the ball into his direction. The French midfielder pulled off a stunning trick and with a first-touch strike as he was turning around, he sent the ball past an helpless Diego López. Lyon got in front and until that moment, they had clearly been the strongest side on the pitch.

The first half would end with that 1-goal advantage to the home side, but that didn't seem to have made any difference in Ancelotti's mind, as the Italian expected plans of bringing some new blood for the second 45 minutes got confirmed. The Merengues reacted well, but ended up conceding another goal, after seeing Nacho as an improvised centre defender failing to clear away a cross made into his team's penalty area. The mistake ended up setting everything for the former FC Porto forward Lisandro López, as he had just been given a golden chance to strike at goal from a very favorable position. From that spot, the Argentinian didn't forgive and put his side two goals up at the Gerland Stadium...

Trailing by two, Ancelotti kept changing the players and one of them had to be Cristiano Ronaldo. The Italian coach sent Álvaro Morata to take the Portuguese player place and the 20-year old Madrid-born forward got to score the Merengues first goal in the game. With 78 minutes on the clock, Cheryshev got tripped inside Lyon's penalty area in a period where he had already moved up on the field from a left-back position into a left attacking midfielder role. With Ronaldo already resting on the bench, Morata stepped up to take the penalty and beat Anthony Lopes with ease, putting Real Madrid back into the discussion of the game.

The Merengues showed their belief and heart in what was left from this friendly and still managed to obtain a second goal in the dying minutes of the game. Angel Di María took a corner kick on the right, curled the ball into the far post and saw the Brazilian Casemiro benefiting from a misjudgement call made by Lyon's goalkeeper, that basically allowed him to head the ball towards an empty goal. The former São Paulo midfielder scored his second goal in a row, which happens after having already impressed with his performance in the previous game against Bournemouth. So far, Casemiro is certainly proving to be one of the biggest positive surprises on this Real Madrid pre-season campaign.

Real Madrid line-up vs Lyon:

Goalkeeper: Diego López
Defenders: Carvajal, Pepe, Nacho, Cheryshev
Midfielders: Illarramendi, Isco, Ozil, Angel Di María
Attackers: Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against PSG, this next Saturday (July 27, 2013), on another friendly match agended for this pre-season. In the meantime, you can watch PSG vs Real Madrid, Valerenga vs Barcelona, Cerezo Osaka vs Manchester United and Indonesia vs Chelsea, all matches provided from our soccer live section.

Real Madrid next game:
PSG vs Real Madrid kick-off time (27-07-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 01:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 20:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 19:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 15:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 11:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 02:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / goal.com / realmadrid.com

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