Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Fiorentina in their first public preseason match of the summer, at the Wörthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria. Endrick and academy product Ciria scored to put Jose Mourinho’s side in control before the Italian side fought back to level.
The result carries limited weight, with roughly half of the squad still on holiday following the World Cup, but the fixture gave Mourinho his first chance to test tactical ideas in front of a crowd.
Endrick opened the scoring in the 12th minute, converting with his left foot from a Carreras cross. The move was started by Arda Güler, whose influence on the first half was considerable. Playing with freedom behind the attack, the Turkish midfielder directed teammates with his movement, finding gaps with incisive passes and switching the angle of play with long balls. When the ball reached him he looked to inject pace or shift possession quickly across the pitch.
Ciria doubled the lead in the 24th minute after a combination that began with Trent Alexander-Arnold and was continued by Camavinga before the young wide player finished from the left.
A notable tactical feature of the first half was Mourinho’s build-up structure. Alexander-Arnold dropped into the centre to form a three-man defensive line, while both Carreras and debutant Denzel Dumfries were given licence to push forward as attacking wide players. The arrangement allowed Alexander-Arnold to influence play from deeper positions, making more use of his passing quality. Dumfries showed consistent power and energy down the right throughout his time on the field.
Fiorentina were largely kept in check in the first half despite some neat play from young Ivorian midfielder Oulai. They found a way through just before half-time when Piccoli scored after a move involving former Real Madrid academy player Alex Jimenez. The goal lifted the Italian side and after the break they pressed higher, with Gudmundsson going close twice and Mandragora trying from a free kick.
Kean equalized in the 59th minute, heading home from a Fagioli pass within a minute of coming on as a substitute.
Madrid steadied but could not find a winner. New signing Carlos Espi, a 194-centimetre striker signed from Levante, came on late for his debut and had a chance from an Alexander-Arnold cross but could not direct the ball on goal.
A minute’s silence was observed before kickoff in memory of Baresi.
