Club Friendlies
Bayern Munich 2 – 1 Aston Villa FT
Bayern Munich celebrated their victory with a trophy after the friendly match [Getty Images]
Luis Diaz netted the winning goal for Bayern Munich as they defeated Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly held in Hong Kong.
The German champions took the lead in the opening half thanks to a close-range goal by Kim Min-jae.
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Diaz, who came on as a substitute, extended the lead with an impressive curled shot that hit the underside of the crossbar on its way in.
Aston Villa managed to reduce the deficit late in the game with a well-placed strike from Joao Gomes, just outside the box.
The Brazilian joined Villa for £38 million from cross-town rivals Wolves last month.
Tammy Abraham nearly leveled the score, but his header was expertly saved by Manuel Neuer.
Bayern fielded several young players, while regulars Michael Olise and Harry Kane were absent, recuperating from the World Cup.
Bayern’s manager, Vincent Kompany, remarked, “I was truly impressed with the players, especially knowing who is present and who is not. It’s challenging to maintain our identity as Bayern Munich in these matches.”
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Aston Villa, the Europa League holders, will face Paris St-Germain for the UEFA Super Cup this Wednesday in Salzburg (20:00 BST).
Villa defender Pau Torres stated, “This was an excellent match, serving as a great test ahead of the final next week. It’s beneficial to compete against top teams like Bayern to gauge our level of play.”