Those in attendance at Miami's Sun Life Stadium have received a superb taste of what elite European football looks like tonight. The first half of this inaugural championship match of the Guinness International Champions Cub has been properly good, with both sides contributing to the spectacle.
There's been good pace to the overall place, a seriously competitive nature to the match, and, of course, a trident of goals to keep everyone entertained. Madrid opened the scoring through Marcelo following an fairly lackadaisical start from Chelsea. However, Ramires sparked the Blues into life by responding almost immediately - less than two minutes later to be exact. The Brazilian bursts through the middle of the pitch, past a handful of Madrid players, before beating Iker Casillas with an exquisite chip reminiscent of his legendary finish against Barcelona during our memorable run to the Champions League trophy in 2011-12.
Not quite as good, mind you, but still lovely.
The rest of the half was full of smart play from both sides, and some less than stellar flailing from Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo was constantly involved as you'd expect, hitting the deck on several occasions. One of those slip and falls led to a foul just outside the area, and the Portuguese took full advantage with a wonderful free kick that Petr Cech could only help into the net.
How the second half plays out is anyone's guess. One thing is for certain, though - we're likely in for another entertaining 45-plus minutes. Enjoy it, amigos.