Read a re-run of the full-time report from Chris Errington who covered the pre-season game in Austria for The Herald
06:00, 21 Jul 2026
There was no Iker Casillas or Raul, no Brazilian brilliance from Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo or Robinho, and no David Beckham. And there was no sign of new recruits Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson from Juventus. But Real Madrid still sent out a side against Argyle in Kapfenberg last night that simply oozed class.
There was the craft and guile of midfielder Guti, the pace and power of striker Antonio Cassano and the defensive solidity of Ivan Helguera and Jonathan Woodgate. It was a match all the Argyle squad will remember for the rest of their lives – the night they played against one of the world’s most famous clubs.
But it must have been especially exciting for the Pilgrims’ young stars. Midfielder Dan Gosling, aged only 16 and about to start his first season as an apprentice, was sent on in the closing stages. What a fantastic experience that must have been for him.
The same applies to strikers Reuben Reid and Chris Zebroski, midfield pair Ryan Dickson and Luke Summerfield and defender Scott Laird, who were all involved as well. If getting a taste of playing against Real Madrid does not inspire those teenagers to achieve their potential then nothing will.
But the prestigious pre-season friendly could easily have been postponed because of storms in the Styrian mountains. The temperature nearly topped 100 degrees in Kapfenberg during the day and that triggered violent thunder and lightning in the afternoon.
The lightning was an obvious risk to the players’ safety and there was talk of calling the game off. Fortunately, the skies cleared as the 6pm kick-off approached and around 250 Argyle fans lived the dream of seeing their team play mighty Real Madrid.
Real had only started pre-season training the previous Wednesday, and were without their ‘Galacticos’. And Argyle almost caught them cold inside the first 30 seconds, when some casual play gifted possession to Zebroski. The 19-year-old striker unleashed a fierce shot which goalkeeper Diego Lopez – understudy to Casillas – spilled.
However, Lopez recovered in time to pounce on the ball before new Argyle striker Barry Hayles could follow up. Hayles was making his first Pilgrims’ appearance after his £100,000 transfer from Millwall earlier this week. Real, who spent £18 million on Brazilian midfielder Julio Cesar Baptista last summer, took time to settle into their stride.
Guti went close with a rising 20-yard drive but Argyle, as they did all game, pressurised Real relentlessly. There was a let-off in the 15th minute, though, when the powerful Baptista slid the ball into the path of Cassano.
The Italian had a one-on-one with goalkeeper Luke McCormick but tried to square it to Javier Portillo for a simple tap-in. However, before the ball got to Portillo, Argyle right-back Anthony Barness made a last-ditch challenge to concede a corner.
Hayles had a long-range shot comfortably saved by Lopez before McCormick came to the Pilgrims’ rescue in the 21st minute. Portillo raced clear of the Argyle defence but the keeper made a brilliant block with his legs. Argyle forced three successive corners after the half-hour mark but they could not capitalise on any of them.
Cassano shot narrowly wide in the 36th minute after a clever chest-down from Portillo as Real finished the first half on top. Argyle had not been outplayed by any means and that continued to be the case after the interval.
Manager Ian Holloway sent out a completely different side, with the exception of McCormick. Real made three substitutions, but Guti, Cassano, Helguera and Woodgate remained on the pitch. Neither side created any chances until the 68th minute, when McCormick pulled off a point-blank stop from Roberto Soldado.
By now, Real’s leading lights had been taken off and, almost unbelievably, a draw seemed possible. Then, in the 74th minute, the Spanish side finally broke the deadlock, although they needed some good fortune. A cross from Ruben De la Red – destined for the head of Baptista – hit the raised hand of Argyle midfielder Lilian Nalis.
Baptista converted the spot kick, with McCormick diving in the opposite direction, before the Brazilian was promptly substituted. University of Plymouth student Josh Clapham took over from McCormick in the 82nd minute and, seconds later, Soldado fired over the crossbar.
Argyle midfielder Paul Wotton had a 30-yard free-kick saved by Lopez before Real’s Pablo Garcia hit the inside of a post with a set piece of his own. Then, in stoppage time, Clapham made an excellent low save to thwart the lively Soldado. It stayed 1-0 until the final whistle and Argyle could take tremendous credit for their disciplined and energetic display against such illustrious opposition.
ARGYLE - First half: Luke McCormick; Anthony Barness, Mathias Doumbe, Hasney Aljofree, Gary Sawyer; David Norris, Luke Summerfield, Lee Hodges, Ryan Dickson; Barry Hayles, Chris Zebroski.
ARGYLE - Second half: Luke McCormick (Josh Clapham 82 mins); Paul Connolly, Mauro Almeida, Scott Laird, Tony Capaldi; Reuben Reid (Dan Gosling 82 mins), Paul Wotton, Lilian Nalis, Bojan Djordjic (Anthony Mason 82 mins); Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Nick Chadwick.
REAL MADRID: Diego Lopez; Carlos Diogo (Alvaro Mejia 59 mins), Jonathan Woodgate (Francisco Pavon 59 mins), Ivan Helguera (Alvaro Arbeloa 74 mins), Raul Bravo; Thomas Gravesen (Pablo Garcia h/t), Guti (Ruben De la Red 59 mins), Julio Cesar Baptista (Valero Borja 74 mins); Juanfran Torres (Javier Balboa h/t), Javier Portillo (Roberto Soldado h/t), Antonio Cassano (Jose Manuel Jurado 59 mins).
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