There was much to admire in a lively FCB display against Hamburg in Tuesday’s LIGA total! Cup second semi-final, but the men from Munich eventually paid for a typically pre-season lack of sharpness, as they created the lion’s share of the chances but still fell to a 2-1 defeat.
The 30,900 crowd at the brand new Coface Arena in Mainz for the game of two 30-minute halves saw South Korean starlet Heung-Min Son net twice before half-time for Michael Oenning’s reshaped Hamburg side, but FCB had dominated the play throughout and sub Toni Kroos pulled one back before the end, although it was too late to influence the outcome.
For what boss Jupp Heynckes described as the first “serious test” of the pre-season period, Manuel Neuer started in goal, with Daniel van Buyten and Holger Badstuber at centre-half, and Philipp Lahm and reserve Cüneyt Köz at full-back: new signings Rafinha and Jerome Boateng were present at the stadium but spent their evening jogging behind the touchlines.
Luiz Gustavo lined up alongside Bastian Schweinsteiger in defensive midfield, behind the familiar and formidable attacking quartet of Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller, Franck Ribery and centre-forward Mario Gomez.
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