James Rodriguez has given Real Madrid a half-time lead over Tottenham Hotspur at the Allianz Arena in the Audi Cup.

A lively opening saw both sides threaten to take the lead, but it was Spurs who created the first meaningful opening when Erik Lamela somehow fired high and wide from a Danny Rose cross.

Madrid fought back soon after as Jese rattled the crossbar with a fizzing drive before the forward was denied by Michel Vorm.

The two teams continued to show plenty of attacking intent after that, though Madrid looked the more likely to break the deadlock.

Former Spurs winger Gareth Bale nodded over with 30 minutes on the clock, while Luka Modric also came close to finding the net against his old club when his deflected effort forced a save from Vorm.

Rafael Benitez's side finally made their dominance count on 36 minutes through James, who took advantage of some slack marking to head Isco's cross home.