Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Friday, 7 August 2015 01:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Brazilian Douglas Costa was in fine form as Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 1-0 in a pre-season tournament on Wednesday, with the new signing charging down the wing and setting up Robert Lewandowski for the late winner.
Costa, who joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in the close season for a reported 30 million euros ($32.71 million), has impressed at the Audi Cup with his speed and control on the left wing in the absence of regular wide players Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, who are out injured.
“We are still in preparation but showed good signs. We need to keep working for the season start,” Bayern sports director Matthias Sammer told reporters a week before the Bundesliga gets underway.
Real were missing the firepower of their regular attacking trio with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema out injured and Gareth Bale on the bench.
Bayern had a handful of good chances and hit the post through Thomas Mueller in the first half.
Costa then set up Lewandowski with a superb cutback but the Pole somehow managed to fire wide in front of an empty goal.
Former Bayern player Toni Kroos had Real’s best chance when he tested keeper Manuel Neuer with a powerful shot, but it was Bayern who looked the likelier to score.
The German champions, eyeing a record fourth straight Bundesliga title this season, did just that when Costa found Lewandowski with a pinpoint free kick for the only goal of the game in the 88th minute.
“Better to have the earlier miss before the league starts,” Lewandowski said. “Now we will get ready for the German Cup (first round this week).”
Bayern, who beat AC Milan 3-0 on Tuesday, take on fifth-tier Noettingen on Sunday.
Neymar and Lionel Messi grabbed a goal each in the first half as Barcelona rolled over Roma 3-0 in the traditional Gamper Trophy pre-season match on Wednesday.
The pair returned late to training following the Copa America and this was their chance to show their form to Luis Enrique in the final friendly game ahead of the European Super Cup clash against Sevilla next Tuesday.
The chemistry that saw them, along with Luis Suarez, hit 122 goals in Barca’s treble success last season was evident from the start.
Despite being a friendly, Messi and Roma defender Mapou Yanga-M’biwa were both booked in an ugly exchange when they went head-to-head and the referee could easily have shown a red card.
Following the clash with Sevilla, Barca play Athletic Bilbao home and away in the Spanish Super Cup before they meet Bilbao in their first La Liga game on 23 August.
