Mario Götze Scores Late as Bayern Munich Beat Inter Milan 1-0 | Recap and Analysis

Bayern Munich collected their second victory as part of their 2015 Audi Tour in China, beating Inter Milan 1-0 in Shanghai.

Mario Götze, making his preseason debut, scored the match's only goal in the 80th minute of the contest after coming on as a substitute in the second half. He received a ball through from Sebastian Rode before finishing past Inter Milan goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo.

Pep Guardiola set his side up in a diamond defense once again, with Jérôme Boateng and Manuel Neuer also making their debuts adjacent to Medhi Benatia, David Alaba, and Xabi Alonso. Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski paired up front with Philipp Lahm and Thiago Alcantara playing just behind them.

Bayern had most of the chances, Neuer and Ulreich not needing to labor too much between the pipes. Müller had a few opportunities to put Bayern ahead, but ultimately could not find the target. Douglas Costa, playing on the right for the first time this preseason, continued his preseason form, setting up a few chances for Lewandowski and Müller early in the match.

Alaba, Benatia, Lewandowski, and Thiago were the only players to play for over an hour, most players getting between a 30- and 45-minute shift. Pierre-Emile Højbjerg came on early in the match to relieve Lahm, who exited with an ankle bruise in the 40th minute.

Bayern's final preseason friendly of their China tour is against Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao on Friday, July 25 in Tianhe Stadium.

Match Details

Bayern München (1-0) Internazionale Milano

FCB: Mario Götze (80')

Bayern XI: Neuer (Ulreich 46') – Boateng (Rafinha 59'), Benatia (Steinhart 73'), Alaba – Alonso (Kimmich 46') – Douglas Costa (Rode 59'), Lahm (Højbjerg 40'), Thiago (Gaudino 67'), Bernat (Benko 46') – Müller (Götze 46'), Lewandowski (Green 73')

Inter XI: Handanović (Carrizo 46') – Montoya, Ranocchia, Murillo (Juan Jesus 41'), Dimarco (Longo 55') – Brozović (Nagatomo 70'), Kovačić (Baldini 70'), Kondogbia – Hernanes (Papa 70') – Palacio (Andreolli 55'), Icardi (Delgado 60')

Instant Analysis

1. Though Bayern played two up front out of necessity last season, Pep Guardiola has fooled around with it the most during preseason or midseason friendlies. The results on Tuesday were relatively good, although Lewandowski should probably be on the end of service rather than trying to build up chances. Nonetheless, He and Müller are a more than capable partnership, and should Bayern have to resort to two up front, Guardiola can probably use that tactic with confidence.
2. The praise of Douglas Costa may soon get overboard, but one is hard-pressed not to wax poetic about him with the way he is performing. Playing in his "natural" position, he showed how productive he can be no matter what flank he operates on, although he plays a slightly different way on the right than on the left. The fact Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben are still on the mend is less of an issue now, for Douglas has shown he can provide the width that either one of them provide.
3. Although he played in the Telekom Cup, Fabian Benko got his first real look of the preseason on Tuesday when he came on for Juan Bernat at the start of the second half. His positioning still needs a little work, and his shooting capabilities at the top level still remain a mystery. However, for a 17-year-old kid, his desire to run at his opponents is fun to watch, even if it results in a touch too heavy. Bayern could use some flankers in the reserves, which means Benko could develop quickly with the playing time he will receive right away.