How Man Utd’s Lisandro Martinez stopped Jude Bellingham feeling furious after crunching tackle | OneFootball

Lisandro Martinez left Jude Bellingham fuming with a full-blooded challenge on the midfielder towards the end of the first half of Manchester United’s pre-season friendly against Real Madrid on Wednesday night.

Martinez, who angered Arsenal’s players with a similar crunching tackle on Bukayo Saka at the weekend, was shown a yellow card by referee Lukasz Szpala.

Bellingham turned near the halfway line after receiving the ball but found himself on the deck moments later after his legs were swiped away by Martinez.

Angered by the force of the challenge, Bellingham immediately rose to his feet and pushed Martinez, who responded in kind.

Bellingham shouted some words to Martinez before being led away by his England teammate Mason Mount - a player acutely aware of how easy it is to lose your cool when competing against the South American defender.

Video: Martinez’s tackle on Bellingham

Watch Martinez’s challenge on Bellingham here:

You can certainly understand why Bellingham was angry.

The 20-year-old only recently completed his £88.5 million move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund and is desperate to make a positive impression in pre-season ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.

More importantly, he wants to ensure he’s fit and healthy for the start of the new season.

He probably wasn’t expecting to face that type of challenge from an opponent in a pre-season friendly.

After the match, Bellingham said: “I can’t really repeat what I told him, to be honest.”

However, Bellingham explained why he ended the night with respect for Martinez.

Per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, Bellingham told reporters after the match: “The little tiff with Martinez is one of those things. He is a brilliant player. I came in at half-time and I was effing this and effing that. But when he came over to wish me all the best when he came off, I really respected it.”

What else happened during the match?

Well, it took Bellingham just six minutes to open the scoring at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas - and what a delightful goal it was, too.

The Englishman produced an exquisite chipped finish past United’s debutant goalkeeper Andre Onana after being picked out by Antonio Rudiger with a long-range pass.

It was a sumptuous finish from the hugely talented midfielder, who currently has the world at his feet.

Bellingham, who also impressed on his Real Madrid debut against AC Milan on Sunday, played the whole of the first half before being subbed off for Federico Valverde.

The Spanish giants went on to score a second goal through Joselu on the stroke of full-time to seal the victory over Erik ten Hag’s side.

However, it was Bellingham who was named Man of the Match.

What else did Bellingham say after the Man Utd match?

"There is a lot to aim for," Bellingham said after the game, per BBC Sport. "It is the biggest club with the best players. The expectations are high, as they should be."

He added: “I look like I am enjoying it, I like to think.

"I was confident coming here because I knew how good the players were. I know the qualities I can bring and I feel like I have slotted in.

"I am enjoying playing with this team, learning from so many great players. I am definitely not getting carried away just yet. There are big challenges to come and I just want to keep up the rhythm going into the season."