HOUSTON: Jude Bellingham scored the first goal of his Real Madrid career as the Spanish giants defeated Manchester United 2-0 in a pre-season friendly in Houston on Wednesday.

English midfielder Bellin­g­ham, who joined Real from Borussia Dortmund in a $114 million transfer in June, opened his account with an exquisite finish after just six minutes.

Real defender Antonio Ru­­d­i­ger caught the United de­f­ence napping with a sup­erbly weighted ball that sent Bell­i­ngham bearing down on goal.

The 20-year-old took one touch to control and then lifted a delicate chip over on-rushing United goalkeeper Andre Onana to give Real a deserved lead.

After a flurry of changes at half-time United looked improved after the break, but Real created the better chances, with Eder Militao almost making it 2-0 on 69 minutes only to see his shot cleared off the line.

Los Blancos finally made the game safe in the 89th minute, with Lucas Vazquez crossing for veteran forward Joselu to light up the NRG Stadium with a stunning overhead kick for 2-0.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2023