Real Madrid beat Schalke 04 3-0 in a club friendly on Saturday afternoon. The visitors took the lead inside the first ten minutes when K. Mbappe scored in the sixth minute. By then the tone had already been set for an afternoon that would not trouble Real Madrid's visitors in any serious way.
D. Huijsen doubled the advantage in the twentieth minute, and that was enough to keep Schalke quiet for the rest of the half. C. Espi added a third shortly after the break, finding the net in the fifty-seventh minute. Real Madrid changed five players at the interval, bringing on I. Konate, T. Courtois, A. Guler, K. Mbappe and N. Katic.
and here's the thing, the statistics tell a story that matches what you saw. Real Madrid created seven big chances against Schalke's two, and their expected goals total of 2.08 reflected that. Schalke had 44 per cent possession but managed only four shots on target from eight attempts.
to be fair, Schalke did not look entirely defenceless. They made twenty-three tackles and won seven aerial duels, but the gaps in midfield showed when Real Madrid switched between phases. The visitors completed 501 passes compared to Schalke's 366, and their accuracy of 58 per cent on shots was a reminder of how clinical they can be.
the match ended with Real Madrid comfortable on three goals. Schalkе had already lost 3-0 to Atalanta eight days earlier, so this result followed a pattern rather than breaking one. The visitors were on target after their 2-1 win over Ferencváros, and this performance suggested they had found their rhythm for the season ahead.