Stunning Comeback: Aymeric Laporte's Late Heroics Power Man City to Sensational Victory over Bayern Munich
Aymeric Laporte's late strike secures a thrilling 2-1 pre-season victory for Manchester City over Bayern Munich in Japan
Manchester City secured a 2-1 victory against Bayern Munich in a captivating pre-season match in Japan, thanks to Aymeric Laporte's last-minute goal. Despite Bayern's interest in Kyle Walker, it was James McAtee, a promising product of City's academy who had a loan spell at Sheffield United last season, who broke the deadlock with a close-range finish after Julian Alvarez's shot was brilliantly saved by Yann Sommer.
Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel made several substitutions at halftime, resulting in a disjointed second half. However, Bayern Munich believed they had secured a draw when Mathys Tel scored from a loose ball after Ederson made a save.
Nevertheless, City seemed to awaken from their slumber after conceding that goal. Laporte promptly restored their lead following a swift corner taken by Phil Foden and Maximo Perrone, catching Bayern off guard.
Bayern target Walker captains City to victory
Walker's captaincy surprised many, considering his desire to discuss a potential transfer to Munich with Bayern. However, the defender showcased his talent during an captivating first half in Tokyo.Bayern officials are likely to discuss with their counterparts from City regarding the potential transfer of Walker in Japan. However, it was John Stones, a different defender, who had the opportunity to score within five minutes by missing a shot from the edge of the box.
While City displayed their usual composure in possession, they appeared susceptible to counter attacks. Jamal Musiala had a shot blocked by Nathan Ake after McAtee lost possession.
Leroy Sane, the ex-Manchester City winger, came close to scoring with a skillful free-kick that hit the crossbar, leaving Ederson helpless. Shortly after, McAtee successfully opened the scoring for City.
Rico Lewis skillfully bypassed both Konrad Laimer and Dayot Upamecano before passing to Alvarez. Sommer made an outstanding save from Alvarez's shot, only for McAtee to capitalize on the rebound and score his first goal for City.
Guardiola's team encountered a concerning incident when Nathan Ake sustained an injury and was substituted by Manuel Akanji. Ederson was then required to make saves to thwart Sane and Kingsley Coman. Sommer, together with Upamecano, had a disastrous 45 minutes and almost gifted City a second goal just before the end of the first half when he clumsily lost control of the ball near his own six-yard box, yet both Bernardo Silva and Lewis failed to capitalize on this opportunity.
Erling Haaland came off the bench in the second half of a game that lacked intensity, as both teams failed to produce any significant scoring opportunities.
However, the momentum shifted when Bayern unexpectedly scored against the run of play thanks to Tel's goal, set up by a cross from Frans Kratzig. Yet, the German champions' delight was short-lived as Laporte took advantage of Perrone and Foden's swift decision-making to equalize.
What's next for Man City?
Following their consecutive victories in Japan, Guardiola will undoubtedly be pleased. With his team fully prepared to take on Atletico on Sunday, they will then face Arsenal and Guardiola's former assistant, Mikel Arteta, at Wembley in the Community Shield on August 6.What's next for Man City?
Moving forward, Man City's next destination is Seoul in South Korea, where they will go head-to-head with Atletico Madrid on Sunday at 12pm.City then take on Arsenal at Wembley in the Community Shield on August 6, kick-off 4pm.
