Bayern Munich on tour in Asia: dates, matches, details
Bayern Munich were in Asia from July 24 to August 3. Thomas Tuchel's side took in Tokyo and Singapore as they played friendlies against Manchester City, Kawasaki Frontale and FC Liverpool.
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Overview
July 24: Asian tour begins with the Audi Football Summit in Tokyo.
July 26: 1-2 vs. Champions League winners Manchester City at Tokyo National Stadium
July 29: 1-0 vs. Kawasaki Frontale at the National Stadium in Tokyo
July 30: Onward journey to Singapore
August 2: 4-3 vs. Liverpool FC in the Singapore Trophy at Singapore National Stadium
August 3: Departure
Watch: Bayern in Singapore
Victory in the seven-goal thriller against Liverpool
Bayern's final match in Asia before returning to Germany to take on Monaco in Unterhaching was a fine 4-3 win over Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool at Singapore's National Stadium.
The Premier League side had raced into a 2-0 lead through Cody Gakpo (2') and Virgil van Dijk (28'), but the Bundesliga champions responded before the first half was out, with Serge Gnabry pulling one back (33') before setting up Leroy Sane for the equaliser (42').
Luis Diaz (66') and Josip Stanisic (80') then exchanged goals, before academy graduate Frans Krätzig settled the game with a stunning first-time effort in injury-time (90'+1).
How Bayern lined up: Sommer (Ulreich 46') - Pavard (Mazraoui 61'), Upamecano (Stanisic 61'), Kim (De Ligt 46'), Davies (Krätzig 61') - Kimmich (Pavlovic 69'), Laimer (Goretzka 61') - Sane (Coman 46'), Musiala (Gravenberch 61'), Gnabry (Ibrahimovic 61') - Tel (Sarr 69')
Unused subs: Hülsmann, Tikvic
Out: Choupo-Moting (knee), Guerreiro (calf), Müller (hip), Neuer (broken leg)
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's win over Liverpool
Press conference with Tuchel and De Ligt ahead of Liverpool game
Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel was enjoying his surroundings ahead of the Bavarian's meeting with Liverpool in Singapore.
"It's my third time here, the view's impressive," he said. "We had dinner with the staff. It's a nice, clean and very well-organised city. They're very friendly people who always want to help. We accept the weather conditions, they're not an excuse. It's a peaceful, clean city."
Central defender Matthijs de Ligt was also happy about the new training location, especially because of the slightly higher temperatures: "We trained here for the first time yesterday," he said. "It was extremely hot in Japan, the sun shone all day. It was a bit cooler yesterday. We're trying to train as best we can and get the best out of it."
The trip to Asia can be the first step on a long journey towards the Champions League title, explained Tuchel: "We're at a club where it's all about winning titles. It doesn't matter what your goal is, you have to start the journey and then take it step by step. You also need luck, then everything's possible. There's no point in talking too much about the dream. We have to keep growing together, develop a team spirit."
Watch: Bayern's arrival in Asia
Bayern welcomed to Singapore
Bayern arrived at their second destination on this year's Audi Summer Tour after a five-day stay in Tokyo.
The departure from Japan was delayed due to inclement weather, which is why the Bavarians landed almost two hours late. An enthusiastic welcome nonetheless awaited the team at the hotel, with swathes of fans there to greet the players. Joshua Kimmich and Co. signed autographs and took selfies.
Watch: Kawasaki/Bayern fan crossover
Kim and De Ligt - Bayern's new dream duo?
All eyes were on new signing Kim Min-jae in the 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale. The former Napoli man spoke about his debut after the game and was quite self-critical: "I always tried to make the game easy, but I also made a few mistakes. The team is new, the tactics are different - I need to find my way around now."
De Ligt, the player many expect will be Kim's regular central defensive partner, is helping him settle in: "I've only been with the team for a short time and am trying to adapt as quickly as possible and get to know my teammates," Kim continued. "Matthijs de Ligt is helping me a lot with that. We talk to each other a lot and get along well."
Now that Kim has played his first game, the focus is on the start of the season and the work to be done until then: "I felt at the beginning that it wasn't easy because it's a new environment and I'm not in top form yet. I want to keep working hard to get in my best shape."
Victory over Kawasaki Frontale
Bayern rebounded from their narrow feat to continental treble winners Manchester City with a 1-0 win over Kawasaki Frontale at the National Stadium in Tokyo.
Kim Min-jae made his debut for the record German champions in front of 45,289 fans, lining up alongside Benjamin Pavard in central defence in the first half, and enjoying a 100 per cent success rate in his duels. In an exciting first half, Mathys Tel also had a number of chances but it was goalless at the break.
Thomas Tuchel made nine changes at the break, with only Tel and goalkeeper Yann Sommer staying on the field. Josip Stanisic scored what proved to be the winning goal (57'), converting after a smart one-two with Ryan Gravenberch.
How Bayern lined up: Sommer - Mazraoui (Stanisic 46'), Pavard (De Ligt 46'), Kim (Upamecano 46'), Davies (Krätzig 46') - Kimmich (Goretzka 46'), Laimer (Gravenberch 46') - Sane (Sarr 46'), Musiala (Pavlovic 46'), Gnabry (Coman 46') - Tel (Ibrahimovic 61')
Unused subs: Hülsmann, Tikvic
Out: Buchmann (fitness), Choupo-Moting (knee), Raphael Guerreiro (knee), Müller (knee), Neuer (knee), Tillman (fitness)
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's victory over Kawasaki Frontale
Tuchel praises Kim
Before the friendly against Kawasaki Frontale on 29 July, Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel praised his new central defender Kim Min-jae: "Min-jae brings a lot of quality to our squad. He can play on both sides in central defence. That gives us stability and versatility. He will play tomorrow. We hope that Matthijs de Ligt will come back too, then we have two new options."
Meanwhile, Mathys Tel has caught a small infection and is questionable for the next game. "We have to see if it's enough. He's doing well, accelerating in training, being part of the group and fighting for his place," said Tuchel.
Serge Gnabry expressed his delight at being able to explore Japan, meanwhile: "I've wanted to come to Japan for a few years to learn about the culture. I've had a very cool time here. I've been able to train at Kawasaki, a big thanks to the club that it worked, it helped me a lot. I really liked Tokyo, I will definitely come back."
Test match defeat against Man City
Bayern lost their first friendly on the Asian tour 2-1 against Manchester City. James McAtee (22') and Mathys Tel (82') exchanged goals before Aymeric Laporte scored the winner (86') for the recent English and European champions in front of 65,049 fans in Tokyo's National Stadium.
How Bayern lined up: Sommer (Ulreich 46') - Mazraoui (Sarr 46'), Pavard (Stanisic 46'), Upamecano (Tikvic 46'), Davies (Krätzig 46') - Kimmich (c) (Goretzka 46'), Laimer (Gravenberch 46') - Coman (Wanner 46'), Musiala (Vidovic 46'), Sane (Mane 46') - Gnabry (Tel 46')
Unused subs: Hülsmann, Pavlovic, Ibrahimovic
Out: Guerreiro (calf), Müller (hip)
Watch: Highlights of Bayern's narrow defeat to Man City
Reception by the governor of Tokyo
A great honour for Bayern: As part of this year's Audi Summer Tour, the record German champions received an invitation from the governor of Tokyo Prefecture. Bayern president Herbert Hainer and vice president Professor Dr. Dieter Mayer presented Yuriko Koike with a jersey and she wished the club a successful stay in Japan. "Football is very popular here, especially among young people," she said, praising Bayern's commitment to promoting talent. On learning that Bayern had won the Bundesliga 11 times in a row she said "Bayern must be invincible."
Bayern's squad for their Asian tour
Goalkeepers: Sven Ulreich, Yann Sommer, Tom Ritzy Hülsmann
Defenders: Dayot Upamecano, Min-Jae Kim, Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Pavard, Alphonso Davies, Bouna Sarr, Noussair Mazraoui, Frans Krätzig, Josip Stanisic, Antonio Tikvic
Midfielders/Forwards: Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Leon Goretzka, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman, Paul Wanner, Konrad Laimer, Gabriel Vidovic, Ryan Gravenberch, Mathys Tel, Jamal Musiala, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Arijon Ibrahimović
Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Raphael Guerreiro, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (knee problems), Malik Tillman and Tarek Buchmann (both in advanced training) did not travel.
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