Zidane Confident Of Good Season After Benzema Hat-Trick Lifts Gloom
1st August 2019
They faced their Turkish opponents having been defeated by Tottenham 1-0 on Tuesday in the first match of a four-team event which also features German champions Bayern Munich
- French striker Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Fenerbahce 5-3 in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday which temporarily lifted the summer gloom which has engulfed the Spanish giants
- Zidane's preparations for the new season have also been overshadowed by the saga of Gareth Bale's future at the club
- In the final of the tournament, Tottenham claimed the trophy 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out win over Bayern after the game had ended 2-2
MUNICH, Germany- French
striker Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick as Real Madrid defeated Fenerbahce 5-3
in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday which temporarily lifted the summer gloom
which has engulfed the Spanish giants and coach Zinedine Zidane.
However, problems remain for Real as they have now conceded
16 goals in just five friendly matches.
They faced their Turkish opponents having been defeated by
Tottenham 1-0 on Tuesday in the first match of a four-team event which also
features German champions Bayern Munich.
"We are going to find the solutions, we are going to
work. I stand by my players and I know that we are going to make progress and
that we will have a very good season," said Zidane whose team had been
left bruised by a humiliating 7-3 defeat by city rivals Atletico in a friendly
in the United States last week.
"Nobody likes conceding three goals but we have scored
five. For us, this is a positive victory."
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Leg
Zidane's preparations for the new season have also been
overshadowed by the saga of Gareth Bale's future at the club.
The Welsh star was left out of the Spanish side's squad for
the two matches in Munich after his planned transfer to Chinese side
Jiangsu Suning, who had offered the Welshman a three-year-deal worth £1 million
($1.1 million) a week, broke down.
Benzema said the humilation at the hands of Atletico was a
thing of the past and that the crucial date will be the weekend of August 17
when the new La Liga season starts.
"The criticisms after the match against Atletico were
normal. It was only a friendly but you cannot concede seven goals," said
the French striker.
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"However, it's no longer on my mind."
In the final of the tournament, Tottenham claimed the trophy
3-2 in a penalty shoot-out win over Bayern after the game had ended 2-2.
Eric Lamela and Christian Eriksen had put Spurs 2-0 up ahead
before 19-year-old Jann-Fiete Arp, signed in the summer from Hamburg, and
Alphonso Davis, just 18, pulled the German giants level with second-half
strikes.