Manchester United vs Real Madrid: Five things we learned as David De Gea and Anthony Martial stand out
The Spaniard was the penalty shootout hero after Jesse Lingard and Casemiro swapped goals in regulation time in Santa Clara
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United's perfect record Stateside this summer continued despite an afternoon to forget for Victor Lindelof as they edged out Real Madrid 2-1 in a dismal penalty shootout after an equally uninspiring 90 minutes ended in a 1-1 draw in baking conditions in Santa Clara, California.
David de Gea's future dominated the build-up to the first of two meetings between the sides in less than three weeks as Jose Mourinho revealed Madrid failed to push through a move for the Spanish international despite United opening the door to a potential move.
De Gea showed Madrid what the are missing out on, though, with penalty saves from Mateo Kovacic and Oscar Rodriguez, as well as a stunning stop to prevent Luis Miguel Quezada's free-kick from giving Madrid a 2-1 lead.
However, new recruit Lindelof's troubled tour continued as he was embarrassed by Theo Hernandez's pace to concede a second-half penalty from which Casemiro equalised after the impressive Jesse Lingard had put United in front just before the break.
Lindelof also saw his penalty saved, whilst Anthony Martial and Scott McTominay also failed to convert from the spot, but De Gea's fine form allied to wayward efforts from Hernandez and Casemiro saw United prevail as Madrid missed four of their five penalties.
1. US fans' enthusiasm waning
When these two met on American soil just three years ago a record 109,000 crowd for a football match in the US packed the Michigan stadium for a game containing far fewer star names just weeks after the conclusion of the World Cup.
Yet, with more teams touring the US every summer and fans still expected to fork out exorbitant prices to see players go through the motions in pre-season, unsurprisingly enthusiasm is starting to run out.
Although a healthy crowd still withstood the baking Californian heat, they still only filled little more than half of the 68,500 Levi's stadium.
The fact the biggest cheer of the day was reserved for the announcement that a penalty shootout would take place said much for the occasion, but then in Mourinho's own words "the penalty shotout is something very American, they like this type of decision".
2. Mourinho wants Martial consistency
Martial's afternoon served as a microcosm of his United career as the sublime from the moment he left Dani Carvajal and Luka Modric in his wake to set up the opener was followed by the ridiculous when he blasted the first penalty of a comical shootout well over.
"We want more consistency in his talent," said Mourinho afterwards. The talented Frenchman was a far more consistent performer in his first campaign at Old Trafford under Louis van Gaal than under Mourinho's watch last season and the chances for his star potential to blossom seem even more remote should Ivan Perisic arrive before the end of August.
The Croatian is wanted by Mourinho to supply width on the left and aerial ammunition for Romelu Lukaku, but adding more competition when Martial already suffered from a lack of playing time last season could spell the end of his United career.
3. Lingard staking his claim
Although he profited from Martial's good work for his goal, Lingard deserved to get his name on the scoresheet as he had the only two other efforts on goal of note in the first 45 minutes.
Despite coming through the club's academy, Lingard has often struggled to get the same recognition from United fans handed down to Marcus Rashford or other homegrown talents of old.
Yet, Mourinho has backed the England international with a new four-year deal and through four games on tour he has done more than most to deserve a place in the team when these two meet again for a far more serious encounter in the UEFA Super Cup on August
4. Madrid rusty but with room to improve
In Real's first outing of pre-season the European champions looked decidedly rusty despite Zidane's starting XI containing just three changes from the team that started in the Champions League final last month.
However, worryingly for Los Blancos' competition at home and abroad this season there were signs Madrid could be even stronger this season for the addition of Theo Hernandez.
The first man to cross the Atletico-Real divide in the Spanish capital in 17 years showed his pace and power to provoke Lindelof into conceding the penalty.
Moreover, with Zidane promising "anything can happen before August 31" and with £70m freshly pocketed from the sale of Alvaro Morata, Madrid are likely to strengthen further in the weeks to come.
5. Ronald McDonald steals the show
There was no Cristiano Ronaldo in Santa Clara as he enjoys an extended break after the Confederations Cup, so it was left to Ronald to take centre stage...Ronald McDonald that is.
One of the quirks of US tours can be elaborate pre-game shows with the US national anthem a staple. The Manchester derby was preceded by Drake delivering the match ball, but nothing has so far matched the ridiculousness of the teams being led out and forced to shake hands with Ronald McDonald before kick-off in scenes which quickly gained more social media attention than the game itself
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