FC Bayern have made it two victories out of two in the mid-season period after rounding off the annual winter training camp on Saturday evening with a clear-cut 4-1 win against leading Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Hilal. Dante, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Robert Lewandowski scored first half goals in the friendly meeting at King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh to put the Bundesliga leaders firmly in the driving seat. Sub Claudio Pizarro made it four on the hour, before Aldwasari scored the home team’s consolation in the final minute.
Compared to the clash four days ago against the Qatar Stars, a match which also finished 4-1 to FCB, Pep Guardiola made three changes to his starting line-up. Manuel Neuer, Xabi Alonso and Arjen Robben came into the team in place of Pepe Reina, Gianluca Gaudino and Sebastian Rode. Once play got underway the home team were first to show but Juan Bernat cleared Kaabi’s first-minute effort off the line.
Pizza on target
But the visitors soon had the match under control and eased into a comfortable lead with an early double strike. Dante opened the scoring after nine minutes with a close range header from Jerome Boateng’s cross, before Schweinsteiger seized on a defensive lapse to double the score two minutes later. The men from Munich continued to dictate the pace but found chances hard to come by against a deep-lying Al-Hilal team. Robben twice came close midway through the half, before the Dutchman produced a fine 39th-minute assist for Lewandowski to make it three.
Guardiola made six changes to his team at the break and his players needed a little time to settle to their new formation. As in the first half Al-Halal fashioned the first chance, but Kaabi’s 55th-minute drive from 25 yards cannoned off the post. Pizarro showed how it should be done six minutes later when he headed Bayern’s fourth from a Mitch Weiser cross. Rode (75), young Sinan Kurt (77) and Pizarro (79) could all have increased the margin, but the final goal of the night was scored for Al-Halal in the last minute by Aldawsari.
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