Two of the world’s great football clubs, Real Madrid and AC Milan, met Wednesday evening at a very sticky and humid Yankee Stadium as part of the World Football Challenge. The match was the second played this summer at the famous baseball stadium in The Bronx, New York, and offered a much more entertaining show than the earlier exhibition between Chelsea and PSG. It also was a sell out, with nearly 50,000 showing.

Despite the uncomfortable weather, the mood was festive on the grounds outside the stadium. Fans of both clubs congregated in front of the main entrance across from the subway platform and it was hard at first to tell just which side would pull the most support in a city filled with Spanish and Italian speakers. But, once inside, it was clear the Real Madrid supporters, many wearing the number 7 jersey of Cristiano Ronaldo, far outnumbered the AC Milan supporters, though the Italian club had plenty of support on hand.

The crowd was buoyant and energetic from the start, and the mood around the stadium was festive. Real Madrid started with a lineup that featured many regular starters — Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Lassa Diarra, and Iker Casillas, among others — and an embarrassment of riches on the bench. The first half saw Madrid dominate the midfield with Ozil and Sami Khedira forming a very effective partnership in the midfield. Diarra played a strong two-way game, and Di Maria and Karim Benzema were constant threats. The gulf in class was apparent early on with Madrid slickly passing the ball around and trying their luck on goal from all angles, while Milan had to try their luck on the counter attack. A couple of older gentlemen behind me were yelling in Italian, early and often.

While Madrid had the majority of chances through the first 20 minutes or so, it was a superb strike from Di Maria that put Madrid up in the 24th minute. A corner from Ozil was punched out to the top of the box by Christian Abbiati, but Di Maria latched onto it, volleying a swerving shot past the keeper for a 1-0 advantage. The party was on for the Madridistas, who were in for plenty more entertainment.

Despite being thoroughly outplayed up to that point, Milan quickly leveled on some clever interplay between Antonio Cassano, Antonio Nocerino, and Robinho, with the Brazilian easily gliding past Pepe and finding the net with a side-footed shot. The Milan fans awakened, and Robinho showed his appreciation by rushing over to a young girl wearing a Milan jersey in the first row and kissing her hand — a very nice display and the kind of interaction fans rarely get to experience. But why not? It’s a friendly.

But that would be pretty much the only joy of the night for the Milan supporters. Madrid made a handful of changes for the second half, bringing on the likes of Xabi Alonso, Gonzalo Higuain, and eventually Kaka, who came on to a thunderous ovation and obliged with three assists. Ronaldo, who logged 80 minutes in the match, put away the second and third goals for Madrid with style, before Sergio Ramos scored a header off a corner kick, with service provided by Kaka. The Milan supporters headed for the exits, quietly, as the Madrid supporters continued singing for their side and got one final reward with a late goal by Jose Callejon.

Final score: Madrid 5 – 1 Milan.

All in all, a wonderful display of football by the Spanish giants and a rewarding trip up to the Bronx for their supporters. For Milan supporters, although it was only a friendly, they will be asking questions. Just where is this team headed with the recent transfers of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva, and the departure of a trio of greats: Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, and Gennaro Gattuso?

One final note: I have to applaud former US Men’s National Team and MLS defender Jimmy Conrad, who was out in front of the stadium with a table stocked with hair wax and pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo throughout the years. He was trying to get people to agree to have their hair styled like Ronaldo. For the few minutes I watched, there were not takers, just plenty of perplexed looks and laughs. Strong work, Jimmy.