Tottenham 2-3 Bayern Munich: Muller proves the difference on Kane's return

By Sports Desk August 10, 2024

Bayern Munich hold on to earn a 3-2 friendly win over Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Dejan Kulusevski's strikes bookended the goals, with Dayot Upamecano, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller's first-half efforts enough to see out the victory.

The home fans were immediately treated to an opener, as Kulusevski netted from close range after just 26 seconds, though they failed to build any momentum on the back of it.

Bayern's pressure soon paid off as Upamecano latched onto Mathys Tel's saved shot to bundle in an equaliser in the 16th minute.

Gnabry turned the game on its head just after the half-hour mark, getting the better of Guglielmo Vicario from long range, and a third goal was not far behind, with Muller heading Bayern into a two-goal lead on the stroke of half-time.

Spurs improved after the break though, and they got their reward as Kulusevski got his second of the game with a drilled finish into the bottom-right corner of Neuer's net.

Former Spurs captain Harry Kane made an appearance off the bench to a standing ovation almost one year on from his departure but failed to trouble Vicario with a couple of long-range strikes after Joshua Kimmich had struck the woodwork. 

Data Debrief: Missing that clinical edge

While the scoreline suggested a tight game, it could have been a much different story if Bayern had taken more of their many chances.

They had 20 shots on Spurs' goal, getting seven of them on target, while they also had 37 touches in the opposition box, though Vincent Kompany's frustration at their lack of a clinical edge in the second half.

Meanwhile, Spurs have suffered back-to-back defeats against Bayern to finish pre-season, leaving Ange Postecoglou with some problems to solve ahead of their Premier League opener.

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