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Real Madrid wasted the chance to finish 2014 in winning fashion by losing 4-2 to AC Milan in the Dubai Challenge Cup friendly. While this should not be a worrying sign, given that Los Blancos did not play with intensity, Carlo Ancelotti will surely use this match to prove that any given team could beat the FIFA Club World Cup champions if they decide not to show up.
Real Madrid reportedly earned close to €4 million for this match, so having seen the players taking this match a bit lightly seems reasonable. Even Ancelotti decided to leave Kroos, Pepe, Casillas, Carvajal, Bale, James and Benzema on the bench until the second half started. Meanwhile, AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi deployed his marquee Starting XI.
Every available player had a chance to feature, and Jesé was able to complete 64 good minutes of football. Real's wonder kid assisted Cristiano Ronaldo on Real Madrid's first goal after a powerful run between AC Milan's midfielders, showing that he's recovered some of the explosiveness he had before he tore his ACL.
Other than that, this was a meaningless game. Casillas and Navas conceded two goals a piece, but neither one made a single mistake. Keylor Navas will soon have the opportunity to defend Real Madrid's goal with a much more focused defensive line when Real face Atlético de Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Until then, it doesn't make sense to watch these matches hoping to analyze Casillas and Navas' performances.
Real's game was far from being acceptable had this been an official match. Since Ancelotti's men took this as an open training session, these 90 minutes aren't a big deal at all.
The winning streak is still alive, as it only registers official, competitive matches. Otherwise, any given team could win their pre-season friendlies and some league matches to break the record. If Real Madrid want to break the Guiness Record for most consecutive wins, they'll need to win their next three games. That is, Valencia (away), Atlético (away) and Espanyol (home). Not an easy task, and one much more important than this Dubai Challenge Cup.