Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City
Manchester City finished their US tour with a first win, thanks to a battling comeback against FC Bayern in Miami.
More than 29,000 fans at the Hard Rock Stadium witnessed an ICC 2018 Bayern Munich-Manchester City classic as Pep Guardiola’s Premier League champions came back from a two-goal deficit to roar to victory.
Bernardo Silva was the hero, returning from World Cup 2018 to join the City squad and fire a double which turned the game on its head. The only slight concern for Pep was that his match-winner came on the field to replace the injured Riyad Mahrez. But at least the City fans can leave the tournament with a victory under their belts.
And for Bayern’s new boss Niko Kovac, there’s no real cause for concern, just a little food for thought.
Highlights of the game
Pep Guardiola played an inexperienced side for the third game in a row, giving youngsters and fringe players a chance to impress. Meanwhile, FC Bayern lined up with more household names, including Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and David Alaba.
And while City started the brighter of the two, it seemed that experience was likely to win the day when the German champions went 2-0 up within 25 minutes.
Teenage star Lukas Nmecha has a bright future in the game and he showed some superb touches early on as the Sky Blues pressed for an opener.
The team got behind the Bayern defence twice, being denied first by the goalkeeper and then by the post. Riyad Mahrez thought he’d won a penalty when he was challenged by Chris Richards but all he got was a sore ankle.
It was one of Bayern’s own young guns, 19-year-old Meritan Shabani, who broke the deadlock on 15 minutes by heading home a pinpoint cross from Brazilian wingback Rafinha.
And then it was one of the elder statesmen who gave the Bundesliga giants breathing space as Arjen Robben made it two on 24 minutes. Franck Ribery chipped a beautiful ball over the City rearguard and Robben smashed the ball past Claudio Bravo.
The Bayern Munich-Manchester City betting tips were now firmly in the Germans’ favour, but there was a glimmer of hope for Guardiola’s men on the stroke of halftime. Mahrez—whose ankle was still troubling him—had been replaced by Bernardo Silva, and it was that switch which swung the game.
The Portugal international picked up the ball on the right wing before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful shot into the far corner to cut the deficit. And City were level just six minutes into the second half when keeper Sven Ulreich could only parry Phil Foden’s drive, allowing Nmecha to poke home his deserved goal.
The Manchester fightback was rounded off in the 70th minute when Silva found a gap between Alaba and Ulreich to squeeze home the winner.
Robben came closest to levelling, forcing Bravo into a brave save, but City held on for a welcome win.
Key statistics
That’s back-to-back defeats now for Niko Kovac’s team after opening with an impressive win against PSG. They lost to Serie A Champions Juventus when Andrea Favilli hit two first-half goals.
The Bundesliga champions have now tested themselves against the top dogs from three other big European leagues and have come out 1-2.
Recent Bayern Munich vs Manchester City results—in friendly games—have both gone in the Munich team’s favour, so this is a nice turnaround for the Sky Blues.
The match statistics tell the story of a well-fought battle, with Manchester City edging both the possession and shot count. With 54 percent of the ball, the Sky Blues managed 14 shots (six on target) to Bayern’s 13 (five on target).
With a passing accuracy of 88 percent to Bayern’s 85 percent, it was a good all-around performance for Pep’s young team and they just about deserved to shade the game.
What’s next?
Bayern will have a chance to get back to winning ways when they face the Sky Blues’ neighbours Manchester United at the Allianz Arena. The Red Devils have just been thumped 4-1 by Liverpool, so Jose Mourinho already has some work to do to cheer up United fans.
City’s next game is a Wembley date in the Community Shield as they face FA Cup winners Chelsea in the English season curtain raiser.
The Premier League is back on 12th August, so make sure you check all the SBOBET predictions as we build up to another mouth-watering prospect in Europe’s toughest league.
Where does Pep take his champions to begin the defence of their crown? To the Emirates to face Unai Emery’s Arsenal.
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