Real Madrid on display in Austria. In what is considered their first “official” preseason test (not counting the secret friendly against Leganés in Valdebebas), Xabi Alonso’s team more than delivered. And for their first starting XI of the season, they went with a 4-3-3 formation (Courtois; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Militão, Huijsen, Carreras; Tchouaméni, Ceballos, Güler; Vinicius, Mbappé, and Brahim). It was a success. The Whites made their debut and, at the same time, wrapped up their summer preparations with a solid 4-0 win over WSG Tirol. Éder Militão opened the scoring, Kylian Mbappé scored twice and Rodrygo sealed the victory. Next stop, the Santiago Bernabéu. On August 19, the Merengues will host Osasuna at 9:00 p.m. (peninsular time) for their league opener.
Real Madrid’s first-half masterclass
The first half was not to be missed, because it was a show. Real Madrid took a few minutes to get going, but in the 7th minute, the show began at the Tivoli Stadion Tirol in Innsbruck. It started with a cross-shot from Kylian Mbappé from the right wing. In the next move, Arda Güler hit the crossbar. Shortly after, Adam Stejskal made a double save after a powerful shot from Tchouaméni, which the Turkish player almost scored on the rebound. But the goal was still to come.
And it was to come, twice. Back to back. Just after the 10-minute mark, Éder Militão scored again in the white shirt. Something that hadn’t happened since September 29, 2024. From a sublime cross by Brahim Díaz, the Brazilian headed home to open the scoring. What a relief. After suffering two cruciate ligament tears in the last two seasons, the defender is smiling again. Already in the Club World Cup, ‘Mili’ gave fans hope in the 26 minutes he played against Paris Saint-Germain. But now he confirms: he is back and wants to be important in Xabi Alonso’s system.
ÉDER MILITÃO IS BACK 😍😍😍pic.twitter.com/GPDbYBXyrU
— REAL MADRID FANS 🤍 (@AdriRM33) August 12, 2025
And after the first, the second came. Just 180 seconds after scoring the 0-1, Kylian Mbappé debuted his new jersey number. In another stroke of genius from Arda Güler, who slipped an exquisite ball to the Frenchman inside the area, the number 10 received it with his back turned, spun around and finished. Easy (for them, of course). In just a quarter of an hour, it was 0-2 to Madrid. Until the end of the first half, the Merengues were untroubled. The home side barely saw the ball pass between their feet.
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ WHAT A GOAL! 🤯pic.twitter.com/Lpr34Q4zIX
— KM (@Kylian) August 12, 2025
Control in the second half
The second half was a carbon copy of the first. Real Madrid imposed their game, their possession, their pressure. In short, everything. The first clear chance was, unsurprisingly, for the Whites. Arda Güler, again hitting the crossbar. From a free kick more than 20 meters from the opponent’s goal, the Ottoman once again hit the crossbar. But the third was coming. In the 59th minute, it was Kylian Mbappé again. Another moment of genius. After a magnificent through ball from Aurélien Tchouaméni, the number 10 dribbled past Stejskal and only had to tap it in. After the 0-3, Xabi Alonso made some changes. Seven changes. Lunin for Courtois, Rodrygo for Vinicius, Carvajal for Trent, Gonzalo for Tchouaméni, Alaba for Ceballos, Rüdiger for Militão and Fran García for Carreras.
KYLIAN MBAPPE THAT IS INSANE! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/o3HUmSgw19
— TC (@totalcristiano) August 12, 2025
Until the end of the match, Real Madrid remained firmly in control. The Austrians came close to scoring, but Lunin was impeccable between the posts. Mbappé even had the chance to complete his hat-trick, and Gonzalo, who had just renewed his contract, also had a clear chance to make it 0-4. Finally, Rodrygo was the one to seal the deal. A great goal, but he barely celebrated. It will cause a stir. Finally, it is worth mentioning the confidence that Xabi Alonso has in La Fábrica. Daniel Yáñez, Thiago Pitarch, and Roberto Martín (who made his debut with the senior team) all got some playing time. The only two who did not see any action were Diego Aguado and Fran González.