Pep Guardiola's Manchester City has spent big to bolster their defence this summer, but showed they will be a force to reckon with at the other end this season in a 4-1 friendly win over Real Madrid.
A second-half blitz in front of 93,000 fans at los Angeles Memorial Coliseum saw City secure their first pre- season victory in style.
Real were unable to contain Guardiola's side once they got their noses in front early in the second half.
The £28.5 million (32 million euros, $37 million) spent by City on Nicolas Otamendi two years ago now almost seems like small change after City have splashed out around £50 million each on Kyle Walker, John Stones and Benjamin Mendy over the last 12 months.
But after Otamendi pounced from a couple of yards out to smash the ball into the net, the entire complexion of the International Champions Cup encounter changed.
Until that point, Real had been the more dangerous side in an end-to-end encounter, with Isco, in particular, causing City's back five problems with his range of passing. City's new £32 million keeper Ederson - culpable in last week's friendly defeat to neighbours Manchester United - was forced to produce smart saves to deny Isco, Karim Benzema and Casemiro, with the latter also heading against the post.
Barcelona beat Man Utd 1-0
Washington: Neymar, serene amid a frenzy of transfer speculation, scored the first-half goal that gave Barcelona a 1-0 victory over Manchester United today in an International Champions Cup friendly. The Brazilian striker, reportedly pondering a 222-million euro ($256.8 million) move to Paris Saint-Germain, showed why the French club would be willing to pay a world-record price to get him.
He delivered his third goal in two matches in the exhibition tournament as Barcelona handed the English Premiership club their first defeat of the pre-season.
After a bright start Manchester United struggled to contain Barcelona's star duo of Neymar and lionel Messi.
Neymar broke through in the 31st, stripping the ball from Antonio Valencia in the penalty area, turning and finding the net.
The goal proved enough to give a second straight victory to new Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde made sweeping changes to the team that beat Juventus 2-1. luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti, Nelson Semedo, Sergio Busquets and 19-year-old midfielder Carles Arena were included in the lineup headed by Messi and Neymar.