Real Madrid held out for victory against a spirited Paris St-Germain side with 20-year-old Jese scoring the only goal of a friendly in Doha.
The match was organised during Real's winter break by PSG's Qatari owners as part of the deal that took boss Carlo Ancelotti to Spain in June.
While Real's Cristiano Ronaldo and PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic both started, neither could find the net.
Edinson Cavani and Thiago Motta wasted PSG's best chances in rainy conditions.
Former Tottenham forward Gareth Bale, who signed for Real for a world-record fee in September, was left out as he recovers from a minor calf strain, and the Spaniards saved many of their star names for the second half with Isco, Karim Benzema and Luka Modric all coming on after the break.
The focus for many in the Khalifa International Stadium was a first meeting between Ronaldo and
Ibrahimovic since the pair shared all six goals in Portugal's 4-2 win over Sweden in November's World Cup play-off.
However it was Real's lower-profile names who combined for the game's only goal in the 19th minute, as rumoured Arsenal target Alvaro Morata put Jese through for a cool finish with a precise reverse pass.
Two minutes before the breakthrough, Cavani had shot straight at goalkeeper Diego Lopez after good work from Blaise Matuidi and Ibrahimovic had given him the time and space to do better.
Motta headed over the top late on as the French side continued to push forward, but without reward.
Real return to action in La Liga with a home match against Celta Vigo on Sunday, while PSG, three points clear at the top of Ligue 1, travel to second division Brest in the French Cup on Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment