Bayern Munich had a triumphant warm-up before the Super Cup, beating AS Monaco 4-2 on Monday. Takumi Minamino initially put Monaco in front, but Bayern quickly turned the tide with goals from Konrad Laimer, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry before half-time. Although Wissam Ben Yedder pulled one back for Monaco late on, Leroy Sane restored Bayern’s two-goal lead.
In the starting line-up, Sven Ulreich protected the goal, while Noussair Mazraoui, Benjamin Pavard, Minjae Kim and Alphonso Davies formed the defensive line. Konrad Laimer and Leon Goretzka controlled the midfield, supported by Kingsley Coman, Jamal Musiala and Serge Gnabry, while Mathys Tel led the attack.
Bayern made a promising start, with Serge Gnabry testing the goalkeeper with two early shots. Sven Ulreich was forced into action by Ben Yedder before Monaco took the lead after a turnover in midfield, with Minamino pouncing on the rebound after Ulreich’s initial save.
The German champions responded quickly, with Musiala narrowly missing the target before Laimer hit a powerful shot into the back of the net. Bayern took the lead when Musiala’s skillful move left Monaco’s defense in disarray, leading to another goal. Musiala almost scored twice, hitting the crossbar with a shot from close range. Just before half-time, Bayern were awarded a penalty for a handball, which Gnabry confidently converted to increase the lead to 3-1.
The second half was similar to the first, with Bayern showing early promise with Gnabry’s attempts. Ulreich was tested again by Minamino, but Monaco were awarded a penalty when Minamino was fouled in the box. Ben Yedder successfully converted the penalty to narrow the gap.
Bayern’s dominance continued when Gravenberch’s shot was blocked and Sane scored another goal. Ulreich made an impressive save from Volland’s shot, while Goretzka and Sane came close to scoring again, hitting the post. Bayern secured a well-deserved victory.
On Saturday, Bayern Munich will take on RB Leipzig in the Super Cup for their first title of the season.
Liverpool also ended their pre-season preparations on a high, securing a comfortable 3-1 win over Bundesliga newcomers SV Darmstadt 98 in Deepdale.
In a fast start, Jurgen Klopp’s side, who will begin their Premier League campaign against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Super Sunday, quickly asserted their dominance by scoring two early goals.
The opening goal came when Dominik Szoboszlai took a well-placed corner and Luiz Diaz deftly headed the ball back to Virgil van Dijk’s boot and on to Mohamed Salah, who sent it into the net with a clinical shot from close range. This was Salah’s second goal in pre-season.
Salah’s prowess continued to shine when he took advantage of a mistake by Darmstadt’s Christoph Zimmermann and seized the opportunity to pass the ball to Diogo Jota to score Liverpool’s second goal.
However, Darmstadt, who were promoted from Bundesliga 2 last season, ending a six-year absence from Germany’s top flight, showed resilience. They managed to close the gap just two minutes after Liverpool’s second goal. Braydon Manu’s incisive pass exploited a gap in Liverpool’s high defensive line, allowing Mathias Honsak to execute a precise finish that slipped out of Alisson’s reach.
Although Darmstadt momentarily threatened to level the score, with Zimmermann’s attempt from a corner going over the bar, the second half witnessed a one-way attack from Liverpool. The team’s dominance was exemplified when Szoboszlai’s corner found its way to Luiz Diaz, who showed exceptional skill to put the ball into the net with his heel, leaving the Darmstadt defense powerless.
As the match progressed, Liverpool substitutes Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez had their attempts thwarted, keeping the score at 3-1.