Real ease to Celtic friendly win

Posted Sunday, August 12, 2012 by ESPN

Real Madrid won 2-0 against Scottish champions Celtic at the Lincoln Financial Field with goals by Jose Maria Callejon and Karim Benzema.

Callejon opened the scoring in the 22nd minute as he gathered the rebound and placed it into an empty net after Celtic goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska failed to save his shot from close range.

Benzema ensured the win midway through the second half as a cross-field ball allowed him to bear in on goal from the left and shoot the ball through defender Adam Matthews' legs and past the goalkeeper.

Before the friendly began, however, Los Galacticos' opponents were forced to make a change to their plans as striker Anthony Stokes was ruled out of the match after pulling up with an injury in the warm-up before the game.

But the Scottish side rarely had a sniff at goal as from the onset, the La Liga champions took command of the game and Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo had a snap-shot go just wide in the 15th minute.
Kaka was next in action as he picked up the ball on the right side and dribbled into the box and unleashed a shot on goal but Zaluska dived low to make the necessary save.

The opener came courtesy of a lovely through-ball by Xabi Alonso with Higuain's subsequent shot being deflected by a defender onto Callejon's path. The Spaniard failed to get the ball past the Celtic keeper on the first attempt, but slammed the ball into the net after it managed to trickle its way towards goal.
Alonso then sent in a free kick from the right a few minutes later and it was met by Higuain but the Argentinean's effort went over the bar.

Celtic mustered a couple of chances before the break as a cross by Kris Commons from the right needed to be put out for a corner by Alvaro Arbeloa and Joe Ledley struck fiercely from distance but Iker Casillas was not troubled at all as he saw the ball fly into the stands.

Real were again the stronger side after the break as Esteban Granero connected with a left-wing cross by Mesut Ozil but could not keep his shot on target.

In the 69th minute, Benzema scored Real's second goal after Ozil sent him clear down the left wing with only one defender to beat. The France international made no mistake from the opportunity and scored his goal with a typically well-placed finish.

Celtic suffered their second casualty in the game as Scottish winger Dylan McGeough clashed awkwardly with Nuri Sahin and the 19-year-old was stretchered off the field to receive prompt medical attention.

Angel di Maria was the brightest player towards the end as he had a couple of shots although he failed to find the target on both occasions and Real finished their American tour with yet another well-deserved win.