da jogodeouro： The Brazilian winger showed glimpses of his electric best as Los Blancos came from 2-0 down to secure victory in Pasadena

da prosport bet： Much of the talk this summer around Real Madrid is focused on a wide forward that they don't own, but perhaps they don't need Kylian Mbappe immediately. Perhaps they have a more impactful winger already. Vinicius Jr. suggested as such with a stellar 45 minutes against AC Milan on Sunday, with the Brazilian scoring the decisive goal in a 3-2 win.

But this wasn't a simple one for Madrid. Milan broke the deadlock, with Fikayo Tomori nodding home a free header from a Christian Pulisic corner — an assist that was met with delight from the American crowd. The Rossoneri added a second shortly before half-time, as teenage substitute Luka Romero found the top corner with a lovely curler from the edge of the box.

Madrid enjoyed a lot of promising moments in between, with Jude Bellingham functioning as the apex of a restructured midfield. But despite all of his powerful strides and deft flicks, Los Blancos were held scoreless at the break.

The introduction of Vinicius changed things, though. The Brazilian started the move for Madrid's first, linking play as they sprung on the counter — a sequence Federico Valverde ended after a blunder from Marco Sportiello in the Milan goal. Valverde added a second three minutes later, with a well-placed shot from the top of the box.

And Vinicius eventually provided the winner, darting in behind the Milan defence before rolling the ball into the bottom corner with less than 10 minutes remaining.

GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at the Rose Bowl…

The Brazilian magician returns

Madrid would, of course, like to have hung on to both Vinicius and Karim Benzema. The dynamic duo have been vital to this side's success for the last three years, the two combining regularly to make Los Blancos one of the best attacking sides in Europe.

But Vinicius proved that he has a lot to offer alone here. Operating as more of an inside forward than a touchline winger, the Brazilian was deadly when Madrid sprung on the break. He ran in behind with regularity; he came short and scampered at defenders; and his tricks and flicks earned him an obligatory couple of kicks from frustrated defenders. This was Vinicius showing mere glimpses of his best, in 45 very promising minutes.

There is no replacing Benzema — although Madrid will certainly spend a lot of money trying. But Vinicius might just have been the more crucial player for this team. It could be a scary season for opposing right-backs yet again.

AdvertisementA new formation for Madrid

Manager Carlo Ancelotti promised Madrid would play around with a new set-up, and it was on full display here. Los Blancos started the contest in 4-4-2 diamond, with Bellingham as a No.10, and a trio of others rotating behind him.

And it wasn't always the most effective of systems. Although Madrid were composed as ever in the middle of the park, things weren't quite as smooth in the final third. Joselu and Brahim Diaz made for an odd attacking pairing in the first half. Rodrygo and Vinicius weren't firing for the first few minutes of the second, either.

The goals inevitably came, with Valverde and Vinicius leading the charge. But the new system, if this is to be the one, will take some getting used to for Ancelotti's men.

Bellingham bosses it

Ancelotti is tinkering a bit with this Madrid side, and it will take time to sort everything. But Bellingham was the clear focal point from minute one, occupying the space between the midfield and defensive lines.

And it looked like a dream role for the big-money signing. He had plenty of time to dribble and create, forcing the Milan defence to drop deep into their own box. There were some chances created for others here, too. He set up Eder Militao with a neat flick while he linked up with Diaz inside the box.

Bellingham will not be expected to score goals — although a few would certainly be nice. Instead, he will be a creative presence, the one to make things happen as Madrid glide forward. All he lacked on Sunday night were the finishing touches from those he passed to.

Getty Images Pulisic enjoys the spotlight

Pulisic never really managed to piece together an extended run of form at Chelsea. His best spell came at the end of the 2019-20 season, when the winger helped carry the struggling Blues to the Champions League during the strange Covid-altered period, and he hasn't hit those heights since. Sometimes distrusted by managerial chages, other times simply injured, Chelsea fans never really got to see what the American is capable of.

But now, he's been given a chance by Milan. Pulisic was impressive here, running at the leggy Lucas Vazquez, and causing problems down the left. He had a proper impact, too, assisting Tomori's opener with a fine delivery.

This wasn't a complete showing — Pulisic's influence waned at the end of the first half and into the second. Still, it was a promising sign that a change of scenery might have been exactly what the United States star needed.