Bayern Munich vs Manchester City; International Champions Cup
Bayern Munich vs Manchester City. International Champions Cup.
Hard Rock StadiumAttendance29,195.
Bayern Munich 2
- M Shabani (15th minute)
- A Robben (24th minute)
Manchester City 3
- B Silva (46th minute, 70th minute)
- L Nmecha (51st minute)
Bayern Munich 2-3 Manchester City: Pep Guardiola's side produce stunning comeback to secure first pre-season victory
Substitute Bernardo Silva scored twice after replacing the injured Riyad Mahrez
Sunday 29 July 2018 10:29, UK
Manchester City came from two goals down to end their International Champions Cup campaign with a 3-2 victory over Bayern Munich at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.
The Bundesliga champions put an end to a bright start from City, racing into a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Meritan Shabani (15) and Arjen Robben (24).
Substitute Bernardo Silva replaced Riyad Miahrez, who picked up an ankle knock, in the 27th minute and he brought Pep Guardiola's young side back into the game in stoppage time at the end of the first half before Lukas Nmecha (51) levelled the scores after the break.
City's comeback was complete in the 70th minute as Silva grabbed his second of the game to hand the Premier League champions their first win of pre-season.
Having endured two defeats in games against Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, City started strongly in Florida and they had claims for a penalty in the fifth minute when Mahrez went down under a challenge from Chris Richards. City's club record £60m signing stayed down clutching his ankle but the referee allowed play to continue.
Guardiola's young side continued to cause Bayern all sorts of problems in the early stages as Nmecha got in behind twice, but his first effort was blocked by Sven Ulreich before seeing his second rebound back off the foot of the post.
Despite their bright start, City were behind in the 15th minute, Rafinha's cross from the right picked out Shabani, who had the simplest of headers from close range to give Bayern the lead.
The German champions extended their advantage nine minutes later and it was the tried and tested combination of Franck Ribery and Robben that cut open the City defence. Ribery's inch-perfect ball over the top of City's defence picked out the Dutchman, who emphatically finished past Claudio Bravo.
City's problems then got worse as Mahrez went down again clutching his ankle and it forced the Premier League side into a change as Silva replaced the Algeria international.
It was the substitute that brought City back into the game, cutting in off the right flank before picking out the far corner from the edge of the penalty area in stoppage time at the end of the first half.
The Premier League side were level six minutes after the restart through the lively Nmecha, who finished from close range after pouncing on a rebound following Ulreich's save to keep out Ben Foden's powerful strike.
And the turnaround was complete in the 70th minute when Silva burst into the penalty area before squeezing the ball past David Alaba and Ulreich at his near post.
Robben did his best to pull the German side level but Bravo pulled off a smart stop to keep out his powerful strike before the Dutchman's teasing cross was headed to safety by Cameron Humphreys as City held on for victory.
Man of the Match - Bernardo Silva
One man's misfortune is another man's gain and that proved to be the case for Silva, who replaced the injured Mahrez in the 27th minute at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The Portugal international went on to inspire City to their first win of pre-season, scoring twice as Pep Guardiola's side came from two goals down to beat the Bundesliga champions.
His first was a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area before a smart finish saw him thread the ball past Alaba to beat Ulreich at his near post to complete City's comeback.
What's next?
Manchester City's next match is the Community Shield clash at Wembley against Chelsea next Sunday before their Premier League opener at Arsenal on Sunday August 12, live on Sky Sports Premier League (4pm).
For Bayern, they face City's rivals Manchester United on August 5 in a pre-season friendly at the Allianz Arena.
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