An FC Bayern XI shorn of a dozen internationals fell 3-1 in a friendly away to SSV Jahn Regensburg on Thursday evening. A 15,224 capacity crowd at the new Continental Arena saw a Munich team largely composed of reserves and U-19 juniors take the lead through Lucas Scholl after 31 minutes, but Kolja Pusch (34, pen), Jann George (39) and Markus Ziereis (43) secured the win for the hosts, currently undefeated in the fourth-tier Regional League this term.
Sven Ulreich, Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso, Sebastian Rode and Sinan Kurt were the five available first-teamers fielded by Pep Guardiola in his starting line-up, although the highly unfamiliar Munich team made a bright start and Daniel Hägler was only denied by quick-thinking Jahn keeper Philipp Penkte on the quarter hour.
Bayern took a not-undeserved lead on 31 minutes after Rode won back possession and squared for Scholl to poke the ball past Pentke. But the counter-attacking Regensburg side stood firm and Pusch, previously thwarted by Ulreich midway through the first half, tumbled in the box under a Xabi Alonso challenge. The striker himself converted the ensuing penalty to level it up after 34 minutes.
Chances go begging
Jahn fielded a near first-choice XI in the first half and ruthlessly made the most of their chances with the break approaching. In the 39th minute Ziereis found George, who applied a simple six-yard finish to make it 2-1. Ziereis then turned scorer two minutes before the interval and tucked away the home side’s third from a Pusch lay-off.
FCB regained the initiative after half-time, using the full width of the pitch against a Regensburg team showing seven changes compared to the first half. Scholl (47), Rode (51) and Hägler (63) tried their luck from long range but to no avail.
Following a raft of substitutions on both sides, with Lahm, Alonso and Rode among those replaced, the pace and precision dropped midway through the second half. Chances were few and far between and the score remained 3-1 to the home team through to the end.
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