SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AFP) - David Beckham scored two first-half goals to deliver a 2-2 draw for the Los Angeles Galaxy against Real Salt Lake in a Major League Soccer contest Saturday.

With Los Angeles trailing by two goals early in the first half, Beckham took advantage of a couple of defensive lapses and posted his first two-goal outing since arriving in the North American football league.

"It was a good game in the end," Beckham said. "I think that we started off terrible the first 20 minutes. We didn't get close enough to them as a team. We looked scared of them.

"And then a couple of tackles started going in, and we livened up," he said. "We got ourselves back into the game."

The English superstar scored twice in the space of four minutes, his free kick in the 40th minute making it 2-2.

Fabian Espindola in the sixth minute and Kenny Deuchar in the 17th had given Real the early lead.

"I would say two goals in the first 20 minutes was the game plan. That's definitely how it was drawn up," Real coach Jason Kreis said. "But our reaction after that was very, very poor."

Beckham halved the deficit in the 36th minute when he accepted a pass from Landon Donovan and fired from 20 yards for his second goal of the season.

"I saw the chance, and I saw that there was nothing going on in the box, and I decided to take the shot myself," Beckham said.

"We started coming back into the game just before then, and when you're coming back into the game, it's important that you capitalize on the play."

In the 40th he curved a free kick past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

Kreis said he was surprised at the dearth of scoring in the second half.

"I think both teams had plenty of opportunities, and you'd figure there would have been more goals, especially after four in the first half."

Andy Williams almost gave Real the lead four minutes into the second half, but his low effort in front of the net bounced off goalkeeper Steve Cronin's leg and popped up high.

Los Angeles had two chances 10 minutes later. Rimando blocked Greg Vanney's shot, but the ball rebounded right to Alan Gordon, whose header went wide left.

In the 73rd, Beckham sailed a long cross to an open Donovan, who missed from point-blank range.

"I think that after the game, there was a feeling that we should have won this game," Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit said. "After those (first) 20 minutes, this team battled back."