Antonio Conte’s men were unable to restrain the effective Marcelo in the International Champions Cup, as the vast crowd witnessed an exciting affair between the two sides.
The prospect of seeing Real Madrid face Chelsea in the International Champions Cup on Saturday evening appealed to a near-record 105,826 attendance at the Michigan Stadium.
More than the inhabitants in Ann Arbor, the small town which is home to the University of Michigan, and nearly 25,000 more than are able to watch Los Blancos in Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, the stands were equally divided between fans in blue and those in white to enjoy the 3-2 win by the Spanish side.
Despite downpours and the threat of storms, fans still arrived at the stadium a couple of hours before the game to enjoy a few beers and something to eat to make it a full day out – a USA custom before any great sporting event.
It’s the second highest attendance for a football match at America’s largest sports arena, with the record set two years ago when 109,000 spectators turned up to see Los Blancos.
On Saturday, the fans had a great time – especially in the first half with a brace from Marcelo and a wonder goal from Mariano Diaz Mejia.
The video screens, where you could see the game live, profiled both tacticians, Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte, before kick-off.
No detail was spared so that for one day, football shone in Michigan.