Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Bayern1 - 2Spurs

sportsmole.co.uk, 3 August 2024, 13:00
A jaded Tottenham Hotspur side were condemned to their first loss of pre-season in a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in South Korea.

Seeking to prolong their perfect friendly record after winning their first five games of the summer, Ange Postecoglou's side instead cut extremely lethargic figures in South Korea, potentially feeling the effects of their gruelling training camp.

An early mistake from Guglielmo Vicario gifted the German giants an early lead through young striker Gabriel Vidovic, and Tottenham offered little in the way of a response for the remainder of the first half.

Leon Goretzka deservedly doubled Bayern's advantage just before the hour mark, 10 minutes before a sensational strike from Pedro Porro gave the Premier League outfit a lifeline, one which preceded a brief period of dominance.

However, the equalising goal ultimately eluded the Lilywhites, who could have no qualms about the full-time scoreline, although the result should not raise too many alarm bells; Postecoglou's side were evidently fighting major fatigue in the Korean heat.

Guglielmo Vicario mistake gifts Bayern early lead

With Spurs' all-time leading scorer Harry Kane still enjoying his post-Euro 2024 break, Bayern boss Vincent Kompany gave the nod to 20-year-old Vidovic at the tip of an attack also featuring Mathys Tel, Thomas Muller and Serge Gnabry.

The Croatian youngster could hardly have dreamed of a better start in Seoul, as with just four minutes on the board, Bayern relentlessly pressed Tottenham as they tried to play out from the back, forcing an error from Vicario.

The Italian goalkeeper made a poor choice of pass, picking out Djed Spence while Gnabry was closing in on the right-back, and the ex-Arsenal man immediately won possession back for Bayern.

Gnabry failed to square for Muller thanks to Vicario's outstretched leg, but on the rebound, Vidovic chested the ball down and clinically fired home through Vicario's legs.

Pedro Porro rocket fails to trigger comeback

A handful of half-time changes did not have the desired effect for the North London giants, who fell further behind when Goretzka fired home at the second attempt after being denied once by Vicario.

However, instead of sucking the remaining life out of Postecoglou's men, Goretzka's goal breathed a new lease of life into Tottenham, who halved the deficit in the 66th minute through a phenomenal Porro effort.

The on-field referee smartly gifted Tottenham an advantage after a foul on Son Heung-min, allowing Yves Bissouma to release Porro, who charged at a retreating backline and was invited to shoot from 25 yards.

The Spanish right-back accepted that offer with a scintillating rocket into the far corner, and Bayern had their backs against the wall in the immediate aftermath, but Kompany's men fended off subsequent Spurs attacks to cling on for the victory.

Tottenham caught out when trying to play out

Lauded for their positive style of play since Postecoglou took the reins, Tottenham's futile attempt to play out from the back on Saturday was ruthlessly exposed by a well-executed Bayern press for Vidovic's goal.

The German powerhouses went man for man as Gnabry charged down Spence, who was not helped whatsoever by Vicario's poor choice of pass; the Italian would have been better off just hoofing the ball upfield.

The manner of Bayern's opener may therefore spark some concern about Tottenham's ability to play around a press in 2024-25, but their tired legs more than likely played a part in that poor passage of play too.

What next for Tottenham and Bayern?

Tottenham's pre-season tour of Asia is now complete, and the Lilywhites will now welcome Bayern to their North London home next Saturday in their final friendly of the summer, where Kane might be involved at his former stomping ground.

Postecoglou's men then kick off their new Premier League campaign away to Leicester City on August 19, while Bayern have one final exhibition game against Austrian side WSG Tirol on August 13, three days before an opening DFB-Pokal clash with SSV Ulm.

Top News

23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have supposedly shortlisted Sporting Lisbon and Uruguay wide man Maxi Araujo as a possible signing for 2025 to address their issues on the left-hand side. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Looking for what would be a first league win since September, Sparta Rotterdam and AZ Alkmaar will do battle at the Sparta Stadion Het Kasteel on Sunday afternoon. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In-form sides NEC and FC Utrecht will be looking to keep their momentum going when they face off against each other at the Goffertstadion on Sunday afternoon. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham boss Marco Silva has revealed that Harrison Reed will have to undergo surgery to resolve a knee issue. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly identified RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba as a possible successor to William Saliba if the latter is lured to Real Madrid. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have supposedly earmarked Ipswich Town frontman Liam Delap as a possible transfer target for the summer of 2025. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk In a match that could affect both the relegation battle and the race for European football, Borussia Monchengladbach are set to welcome St Pauli to Borussia-Park on Sunday in their 11th Bundesliga game of the campaign. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Harry Kane continued his fine form this season to inspire Bayern Munich to victory on Friday night. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Holstein Kiel will hope to use their home crowd at Holstein-Stadion to spur them to victory against Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, as they continue their quest for survival. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Football fans will forever cherish the intense jubilation that comes with their team scoring a late winning goal. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides separated by one spot will go head-to-head in the Turkish Super Lig when Besiktas welcome Goztepe SK to Tupras Stadyumu on Sunday. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk After seeing their seven-match unbeaten run in the Turkish Super Lig end, Samsunspor will hope to pick up the pieces when they welcome Alanyaspor to the Samsun 19 May Stadium on Sunday. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Trent Alexander-Arnold is a major doubt for Liverpool's visit to face Southampton this weekend. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Arsenal hope to have Bukayo Saka available when they face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this weekend. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth will have the opportunity to set a new club record when they take on Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday's Premier League contest. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Steven Gerrard has hailed the performances of Liverpool's academy graduate Curtis Jones this season. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Reece James faces an uncertain future in football due to his ongoing injury problems. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women will look to maintain their 100% record in all competitions when they face Manchester United Women in Sunday's Women's Super League contest at Kingsmeadow. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona will be looking to record their 12th La Liga victory of the 2023-24 campaign when they travel to Celta Vigo on Saturday night. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United will be bidding to make it 10 straight away league victories over promoted teams when they head to Portman Road on Sunday afternoon to tackle Ipswich Town. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has revealed that he will not make a final decision on his squad for Sunday's Premier League clash with Ipswich Town until after Saturday's training session. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has labelled Pep Guardiola the best manager in the world and "probably the best to have ever existed on Earth". 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two places separate Willem II and NAC Breda in the Eredivisie table heading into Sunday's gameweek 13 meeting at Koning Willem II Stadion. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League football returns this weekend, with the final international break of 2024 now being completed. 22 November 2024 talksport.com Jack Grealish has revealed whether or not he would ever appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has insisted he will remain Manchester City manager even if the club are relegated over alleged breaches of financial rules. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira's tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim takes charge of his inaugural Manchester United match on Sunday afternoon, when his Red Devils side face Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is guaranteed to set a new club record in Saturday's Premier League home meeting with Nottingham Forest. 22 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton boss Russell Martin has confirmed that both Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek will be sidelined for "a number of weeks".