Bayern Munich 3-1 Paris Saint-Germain
The International Champions Cup has really hit the mark with fans in recent years thanks to the fantastic football highlights provided.
Pre-season football results involving so many top sides have a certain appeal, whatever time of the year. Even if the result in matches like this is ultimately secondary.
And so, less than a week after the World Cup Final, the Worthersee Stadion in Klagenfurt, Austria was the unlikely venue for a clash of German and French titans.
Of course, the chance to welcome two new managers, Thomas Tuchel and Nico Kovac, made this an intriguing contest, even in the absence of key men on the pitch.
Highlights of the game
Bayern Munich vs PSG predictions were always going to be dependent on the line-ups.
Naturally, the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, Edinson Cavani, Thomas Muller, Thiago Silva, Julian Draxler, Angel di Maria and James Rodriguez were not going to feature after their World Cup 2018 exploits.
On top of that, Arturo Vidal was a late withdrawal from the Bayern squad.
Yet there was still plenty of top talent to witness, including Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and the debut of goalkeeping legend Gianluigi Buffon.
There was also the extra incentive of a debut victory in the dugout awaiting one man.
Kovac, returning to the club where he never really established himself as a player, has become the first former Bayern man to coach the club since Jurgen Klinsmann a decade ago.
And of course, he arrived after ending the Bundesliga champions’ dream double hopes when he masterminded a perfect swansong from Eintracht Frankfurt with an against-the-odds victory in the German Cup Final.
Tuchel also was keen to make a winning start against the side which was briefly his archrivals during his tenure at Borussia Dortmund.
For a while, it looked like he may get his wish as Timothy Weah, son of the magnificent George Weah – remember this (!) – fired Les Parisiens in front just after the half-hour mark.
He collected a through ball and held off his marker before coolly dispatching the ball past Sven Ulreich.
If Christopher Nkunku had taken advantage of a gilt-edged opportunity 10 minutes after the break, it may have been different.
But Bayern proceeded to turn the screw to give Kovac a perfect start as he has the difficult task of succeeding the ever-popular Jupp Heynckes, who guided the Germans to Champions League glory in 2013.
Cometh the hour, cometh one of the most experienced men on the field as Spanish international Javi Martinez arrived on the end of a Robben delivery to thump home a leveller with a far-post header.
Buffon left the fray moments later but his replacement, Remy Descamps, was soon retrieving the ball from his net as Renato Sanches – who spent much of last season on loan at Premier League strugglers Swansea (they were ultimately relegated) – showed what he can do with a cheeky free-kick, curling the ball around the wall and into the net.
Within 10 minutes, it was all over as former Arsenal youngster Serge Gnabry scampered down the right and drilled the ball into the danger zone for 17-year-old Joshua Zirkzee to have the final say.
It was a confident finish from the young man, and that sealed the victory.
So a strong second-half showing from a stronger side won the day.
When, and if, these clubs meet next season, the pace will be very different, the line-ups more familiar and the stakes higher.
For now though – a winning start for Kovac.
Key statistics
Gianluigi Buffon has faced Bayern nine times with a record of two wins, two draws and five losses, conceding 15 goals in the process.
Bayern and PSG have faced each other eight times in official competitions with the Parisians winning five times and the Bavarians four.
Their last meeting, in last season’s Champions League group stages, ended with a 3-1 victory for Bayern. Before that, earlier in the competition, PSG triumphed 3-0 in Paris in a match which proved the final game in charge for Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked and replaced by Heynckes. It was Munich’s heaviest defeat in the competition for 21 years.
What’s next?
It’s Juventus and Manchester City up next for Bayern in pre-season friendlies.
Their first competitive action will be the German Super Cup Final against Frankfurt on August 12.
PSG meet former boss Unai Emery and Arsenal next followed by a clash with Europa League holders Atletico Madrid.
They will then meet Monaco in the French Super Cup on August 4.
For more football stories, keep your eyes on SBOBET Blog.
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