Endrick impresses as Real Madrid draw with Fiorentina in first test under Mourinho

[p]In what was the first high-level friendly of the pre-season for [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/real-madrid/W8mj7MDD/"]Real Madrid[/a], [/b]the initial impressions couldn't have been better.[/p][p]Against [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fiorentina/Q3A3IbXH/"]Fiorentina[/a],[/b] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Mourinho[/a] started three academy players and, surprisingly, played [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dumfries-denzel/QR0j1ejk/"]Denzel Dumfries[/a] on the right wing ahead of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alexander-arnold-trent/CEVJy6Bc/"]Trent Alexander-Arnold[/a], and the gambles paid off at first.[/p][p][b]The setup allowed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guler-arda/CUU9qDpb/"]Arda Guler[/a] to work his magic freely in the attacking midfield role in the classic 4-2-3-1 of The Special One, and in the 12th minute, he linked up with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/carreras-alvaro/ALGEzlma/"]Alvaro Carreras[/a], who delivered a low cross for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/endrick/bXHrpEJ4/"]Endrick[/a]; with his first chance, the Brazilian made a great move in the box and scored with a low, angled shot that beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-gea-david/d6AEQ6OD/"]David de Gea[/a].[/b][/p][embed guid="391fc12f-17d5-4f6f-9709-167409eff9f8" url="https://x.com/realmadrid/status/2083614866913317053?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]Not even fifteen minutes later, the youngster impressed again, helping set up [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ciria-alexis/KbGjZ8le/"]Alexis Ciria[/a] to double Los Blancos' lead. He dragged two Fiorentina defenders away with his run, allowing [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/camavinga-eduardo/6ekYsPfO/"]Eduardo Camavinga[/a] to set up the academy player for an easy finish.[/b][/p][p]Endrick has returned to training earlier than expected, pressed harder than anyone, and is making his case to be the first alternative or even the strike partner of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian Mbappe[/a].[/p][p]Beyond individual performances, what stood out was Real Madrid's [b]intensity in winning the ball back[/b] high up the pitch, with every player fully committed to pressing the opponent.[/p][p]While the big names are yet to return and adapt to the new dynamic, Mourinho's influence is already visible in a team that this season look set to run more and better than last year, both in defence and attack.[/p][image alt="Match momentum" id="57a4acbb-f50a-4598-959f-f00b431c4ed9" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="f8407667-0786-4ded-94f2-61e7ac7a5747" original-width="3840" original-height="2160" /][p][b]Even so, Madrid are still making adjustments, and a lapse in defence just before half-time allowed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/piccoli-roberto/CK8QgVjh/"]Roberto Piccoli[/a] to break into the box and beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lunin-andriy/0S7ye9jr/"]Andriy Lunin[/a] with a powerful shot to make it 2-1.[/b][/p][p]The half-time break didn't do the team much good; they made no changes and started to concede more chances after the restart due to fatigue. I[/p][p][b]In that context, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kean-moise/QPclX9Uq/"]Moise Kean[/a] scored to make it 2-2 in the 58th minute, just two minutes after coming on.[/b][/p][p]The final stages of the match were played at a slower pace, with many substitutions, and the scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/fiorentina-Q3A3IbXH/real-madrid-W8mj7MDD/?mid=KnFRYqI6"]Check out the match statistics on Flashscore[/a][/b][/p]