The final minutes were running down, the oppressive, steaming heat was still pushing the thermometer close to 30 degrees Celsius well after sunset, when the crowd in the packed World Cup Stadium in Seoul suddenly began to envelop this football match in a truly romantic atmosphere. At first it was individual lights from mobile phones that people in the vast arena spontaneously switched on, then hundreds did the same – in the end, tens of thousands of lamps shone down from the stands onto the pitch. It was as if the stars had slipped down a level at that moment.
FC Bayern took on the North Londoners in a fantastic setting.
To be honest, the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur was still some way off the footballing stars that FC Bayern would like to reach for again this season. The contest became too stop-start, particularly from midway through the second half, as both teams began to switch players so much that even experienced observers found it hard to record all the substitutions correctly.
Flattering 1-0
But in the first half, everyone in the crowd agreed that Bayern pinned down their opponents with attacking pressing in such a way that the narrow 1-0 lead at the break - courtesy of 20-year-old striker Gabriel Vidović after just four minutes - was flattering for Spurs.
"We should’ve led by more at half-time," said forward Thomas Müller, who occupied the centre of attack between the hardworking Serge Gnabry and Mathys Tel. "Considering that many players resumed training just a few days ago and then we go and produce a first half like that, I’m satisfied." Gnabry alone had enough chances to put the game to bed in the first 45 minutes, but the 29-year-old had no luck with his finishing after nimble dribbling. On one occasion, Tel, alone in front of the almost pitiful Guglielmo Vicario in the Tottenham goal, failed to hit the ball properly. Munich's superiority was at least as oppressive as the evening heat.
"Tottenham are one of the highest-pressing teams in England," explained coach Vincent Kompany, who was very active in the technical area. "It was therefore important for us to carry a threat from the moment we got possession. And we did that really well."
His captain took a similar view. "We got off to a good start, put Tottenham under pressure early on and allowed little," said Manuel Neuer. "We created many chances by winning the ball high up the pitch. It’s just fun to see the team reward themselves for the hard work. We turned in a very good display in the first half in particular.”
Game all but decided
When midfield substitute Leon Goretzka doubled the lead in the 56th minute, the game appeared to be over already based on the balance of play so far. However, Pedro Porro reduced the deficit with a powerful long-range shot past birthday boy Sven Ulreich, Bayern's goalkeeper for the second half, and it finished 2-1 to the German record champions.
Third friendly, second win: The Munich men are shaping up well. Müller & Co meet Tottenham again in London on 10 August.
The noise level in the stadium, which was built for the 2002 World Cup, increased whenever the South Korean internationals on each side were on the ball - or were even just shown on the screen: Minjae Kim of FC Bayern and Tottenham's Heung-min Son. Joshua Kimmich played in defensive midfield alongside Aleksander Pavlović. The new coach changed his midfield duo for the second period, bringing on Konrad Laimer and new signing João Palhinha, who made his debut in a Bayern shirt.
"The most important thing today was that the whole squad was prepared to suffer in the difficult conditions," added Kompany, who had to do without Jamal Musiala, who is still building up his fitness following his holiday after the EURO. "You can't expect perfect performances at this stage of pre-season." But one that certainly left an impression on all the spectators – and will leave the Bayern squad satisfied when they return from Korea to their Bavarian home around midnight tomorrow.
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