Real Madrid are a lot better than Chelsea; we didn't need a pre-season friendly to tell us that. Tuesday's 2-1 win for Los Blancos in Charlotte, though, proved just how big that gap was. Madrid, even with star players still not back from post-tournament holidays, are ready for their season to start. Chelsea? Not even close.
Lucas Vazquez opened the scoring for Madrid here, although Dani Ceballos claimed that he got the final touch. Brahim Diaz then made it 2-0, rounding new Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen to cap what was a Man-of-the-Match performance. Noni Madueke did pull one back before half-time to maintain his good pre-season scoring run, but it proved to be merely a consolation.
Madrid's season officially starts on August 14 when they take on Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup. Chelsea's, meanwhile, begins four days later against Manchester City in the Premier League. On this evidence, one team is ready for their first competitive assignment, and the other couldn't be further away.
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