Disappointing draw for Real Madrid against Fiorentina

Real Madrid kicked off their summer preparation with a spectacular draw (2-2) against Fiorentina, on Saturday at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria. Convincing during the first half, the Merengue let slip a two-goal lead, revealing defensive shortcomings that José Mourinho will absolutely need to address before the official season begins.

A controlled first half

The Madridistas quickly took charge thanks to Endrick, before young Alexis Ciria doubled the lead following a fine collective move orchestrated by Arda Güler. The author of a highly inspired performance in terms of creativity, the Turkish midfielder was one of the standout players of the match.

The debut of Denzel Dumfries in the white shirt was also encouraging, with the Dutch international proving active and incisive on the right flank.

A second half to forget

Fiorentina gradually gained the upper hand physically. Roberto Piccoli pulled one back just before half-time, then Moise Kean, coming off the bench, equalised in the second half following a Madrid defensive error. Mourinho's men clearly dropped in intensity, giving their opponents the space needed to get back into the game.

After the match, the Portuguese coach acknowledged that his team had shown three different faces throughout the game, between fresh, tired and very tired players. Satisfied with the overall commitment of his squad, he nonetheless stressed that several adjustments were still needed.

Match score

Real Madrid 2-2 Fiorentina

Goalscorers

• ⚽ Endrick (12')
• ⚽ Alexis Ciria (24')
• ⚽ Roberto Piccoli (41')
• ⚽ Moise Kean (58')

Line-ups

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1)

Lunin – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joan Martínez, Mario Rivas, Álvaro Carreras – Camavinga, Valverde – Denzel Dumfries, Arda Güler, Alexis Ciria – Endrick.

Fiorentina (4-1-2-1-2)

David De Gea – Viery, Dragusin, Ranieri, Álex Jiménez – Arthur Atta – Rolando Mandragora, Cher Ndour – Albert Gudmundsson – Roberto Piccoli, Sebastiano Esposito.

Key highlights

• ⚽ 12': Endrick opens the scoring after a fine collective move.
• ⚽ 24': Alexis Ciria doubles the lead after an excellent Madrid move.
• ⚽ 41': Roberto Piccoli pulls one back just before half-time.
• ⚽ 58': Moise Kean, coming off the bench, equalises for Fiorentina.
• ⭐ Arda Güler was highly inspired in his creative play and was one of the best Madrid performers.
• ⭐ The debut of Denzel Dumfries in the Real Madrid shirt was encouraging, particularly in his activity on the right side.
• ⚠️ Real Madrid showed real defensive struggles in the second half and dropped in physical intensity, allowing Fiorentina to draw level.