Cristiano Ronaldo scored a signature goal and Real Madrid displayed its deft scoring ability to beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 4-1 in a friendly on Saturday.
In a game that pitted Galaxy midfielder David Beckham against his old side, Jose Callejon, Joselu and Karim Benzema also scored for the Spanish giants, who showed little rust in their preseason opener.
''We won, that is most important,'' Ronaldo said. ''We want to keep on training hard to start well this season.''
Ronaldo, who set La Liga's scoring record with 40 goals last season, entered as a halftime substitute. The Portuguese star used multiple step-over's to beat three defenders, then fired a sharp shot with his left foot that found its way inside the near post and made it 3-0 early in the second half.
''He's one of the best players in the world, and clearly he showed why,'' Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan said. ''He is not at top form quite yet, but you can still see that he has moments of brilliance that aren't really teachable.''
Madrid manager Jose Mourinho chose to go with a younger, inexperienced lineup to start the game, keeping mainstays Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol and Benzema on the bench before making nine changes at the interval.
A scoreless opening 30 minutes gave way to a pair of goals in quick succession.
Fabio Coentrao started a sequence in the 31st with a short pass to Kaka. The former FIFA player of the year sent the ball across the pitch and over the Galaxy defense to a streaking Callejon, who took a few touches before burying the ball in the lower left corner.
Madrid caught the Galaxy with its guard down two minutes later. Joselu controlled the ball in the box and shot low through Beckham's legs. L.A. goalkeeper Josh Saunders appeared to be expecting a cross instead and looked to his left as the ball rolled past.
Ronaldo made it 3-0 just 7 minutes after halftime and Benzema scored in the 57th, heading in a cross from Fabio.
Adam Cristman got one back for Galaxy in the 64th, redirecting Antonio Adan's save with a header into the net.
''At the end of the day, that's a team worth hundreds of millions of dollars versus a team that's worth maybe 10 (million) at the most,'' Donovan said. ''So we have to keep that in perspective. We enjoyed it, and we still got a lot out of it.''
David Beckham wore the captain's band but failed to make an impact before being removed for a substitute in the 61st minute. Beckham spent four seasons with Madrid, leaving in 2007 after helping the club win its most recent Spanish title.
Beckham came off the field to cheers and shared a hug with Mourinho on the sidelines. Beckham said earlier in the week that it would be a ''dream'' to play for the respected manager.
Real Madrid, which opens its season at home against Athletic Bilbao on Aug. 20 or 21, will play two more matches on its tour through America.
