Audi Cup 2013: City punish Milan, But Lose out to Bayern in final

 Last week saw the AUDI Cup played over a two day tournament, with all games being played out of the Allianz Arena in Munich. The tournament featured the Champions League winners Bayern Munich hosting with fellow teams, Sao Paulo from Brazil, A.C Milan of Italy and Manchester City of England in this pre-season tournament.

Opening match of the 2013 Audi Cup pitted Italian Giants AC.Milan against Manchester City. This would be Manuel Pellegrini first taste of top class opposition after their recent Victory in the Premier League Asia trophy.

City went with a 3-4-3 formation against Milan as Stevan Jovetic was given his first start in a Manchester City shirt.

 Pellegrini played his whole squad in this tournament, as he played one half for this game and the other half in the 2nd game, against whoever it may be in the 3rd/4^th playoff or the Final.

Edin Dzeko was the main striker for Man City, as he had played well so far in these pre-season games and hoped to continue his form on in this pre season tournament ahead of the Premier League season in 3 weeks time.

The men from Manchester started off very strongly against their opposition, As Milan were missing key men in their sidem, But take nothing away from City;  they were very dominate in the opening 32 minutes of the first half as they torn and shredded Milan apart.

It took City just 3 minutes on the board before they scored, as ex-Fiorentina striker Jovetic volleyed the ball towards Spanish midfielder David Silva and the Spanish midfielder put home for 1 - 0 lead to the side donning a new Black and grey halved shirt.

Milan were struggling to deal with City`s pace and power in attack as they were made to look stupid, as City jumped on ever single mistake that Milan made in midfield or in defense.

Stevan Jovetic had a chance to extend the lead for the Blues, as he was given possession by the AC defense and the striker just flashed a shot wide of the far post as they were looking the far more potent side in this match than AC were.

Via: mcfc.co.uk

City was breaking down Milan with ease as they were getting round the back of Italian defense far too easy for AC Milan liking.  Jesus Navas, David Silva and Stevan Jovetic were the men pulling the strings in attack for City, as Milan looked all at sea at the back and in midfield too.

City was being constantly given the ball a lot by their opposition and City wasn`t making it fully count, till when in the 19th minute Micah Richards scored his own rebound from close range to make it 2 - 0 for the English club and three minutes later it was 3 - 0 City, As Aleksandar Kolarov latched onto a weighted pass by David Silva inside the area and he struck a powerful finish to the far post past goal keeper Marco Amelia in the Milan net.

via Eurosport yahoo.com

City were pinching themselves now as Milan looked in freefall as it was becoming more like a training match now. With chance upon chance falling to City they were terrorised the Italian team side and soon enough Edin Dzeko made the pressure pay as he made it 4 - 0 for City, when a lovely ball cut through the Milan defense by Silva was run onto by fellow Spaniard Jesus Navas and the new recruit from Seville, put a fizzing ball across the area which eluded the goal keeper and Dzeko was on hand to score at the back post for City`s Fourth.

It could easily have been double figures for City in the first 33 minutes of the game, as Jovetic had a chance to make it a bigger score line. Some good play by Navas and Richards down the right wing saw the defender whip in a great low bending cross in the penalty area and the ball just evaded the Montenegro Striker as it was inches away from making it five.

They didn`t have to wait long though Pellegrini`s men, As a minute later Yaya Toure chipped a ball into the penalty area and found Bosnian Striker Edin Dzeko, who controlled it fantastically on his chest and spun round to strike in one go as he scored another great goal in this pre season for an incredible score line of Manchester City 5  AC Milan 0! after just 35 minutes of play in the first half. 

Less than a minute later though, Milan with their first meaningful attack of the game, pulled one back through striker Stephan EL Shaarawy. El Shaarawy had been linked in the summer with a move to the Blues and his finish wasn`t the most cleanest of strikes but the Italian striker scuffed shot went goal wards towards the far post as Hart was caught flat footed and saw the ball go in for 5 - 1. 

El Shaarawy then made it 5 – 2 in the 39^th minute as he scored his second of the game, when Kolarov brought down Petagna in the area, but City players expected a whistle to come that never came and the Milan striker carried on playing and picked up on the loose ball and beat Hart who was on his backside to reduce the lead to 3 now. 

City manager Manuel Pellegrini will not have been happy with his side defending at all and will have been furious with the third goal conceded in six minutes, as Milan carried on this comeback and when Muntari kick up field, it wasn`t dealt with by the defenders as they were caught ball watching, however only Andrea Petagna made any effort to get to it and as he collected the ball he slotted coolly through the legs of Joe Hart in goal for 5 - 3. 

Milan had a couple of chances for 5 - 4 but none of them came to anything as both sides had time to sit down and wonder the hell was going on at half time. Second half saw Milan look the better side, as City seemed to have stopped playing after the 5 goals they had scored.

Muntari tried a curling shot but his effort found the corner flag nearly, Samir Nasri came close to making it 6 – 3, as Amelia came running of goals and went without the ball and fell nicely to Nasri who tried a quick curling shot, but missed the target froma tight angle.

Joe Hart made a good save off Prince Boateng to deny him scoring for the Italians, Javi Garcia came close to scoring for the Blues from a corner as he was unchallenged and had a free header in the penalty area, but headed a bullet header right at Amelia in goals and was cleared only as far as Micah Richards, who tried a blast but the ball was saved by the keeper.

Referee blew for full time and the match ended 5 - 3 to Manchester City and saw them in the final of the Audi Cup after a crazy first half.

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The following day action , saw Manchester City take on the host`s Bayern Munich in the Final, as they beat Sao Paulo 2 - 0 in the second semi final, with Mario Mandzukic and Mitchell Weiser scoring for the Bavarian giants.

City hoped to go one better than their neighbours’ did previously in this tournament, as Manchester United had lost to Bayern Munich on penalties in 2009 in the final.

City played a much different side to the one that played in the game the night before, as Pellegrini made a few changes to his line-up as in came Costel Pantilimon for Joe Hart, a completely new line of defense in Pablo Zabaleta, Captain Vincent Kompany,Gael Clichy and Dedryck Boyata. In came Midfielders James Milner, Gareth Barry and Samir Nasri all came into the side for the final.

Bayern with newly installed coach Pep Guardiola at the helm, hoped to bring the Champions League holders their first piece of silverware of the season, as they had  lost out 4 - 2 in the German Super Cup to Runners-up in the Bundesliga and the team they beat at Wembley in the Champions League final back in May, Borussia Dortmund.

The Game was played almost mainly in the City half as Bayern was dominant early on, with Franck Ribery being stopped by Pantilimon in goal for City. Philipp Lahm nearly scored as well, but dragged his shot wide as the German side controlled this game early on. 

City`s defense was holding firm with a solid base at the back, with Vincent Kompany and Dedryck Boyata making a very impressive pairing for the Blues. Bayern were knocking down the City door all game and when they did get past the defense, then they found Costel Pantilimon in good form as the shot stopper made a few good saves to keep the score goal less. 

Arjen Robben went close when he cut inside and fired at net, but found Pantilimon alert and Kompany too as he cleared away any danger.

Javi Martinez headed over from close range and Bayern were getting frustrated as they were creating great chances and had all the possession, but they weren`t converting the chances into goals, much to Guardiola and the Home fans displeasure.

In the 31st minute City finally had something of note as Stevan Jovetic launched a strike from 20 yards out and just missed the target and shown Bayern that it wasn`t just one team in this.

Ribery then found room to run into and he fired a cross across goals, but no one was on hand to convert for the home side.

Boyata was then shown a yellow card by the German match official for a tackle on Ribery outside the area, when the young Belgian defender slid in and won the ball as replays shown, but the referee thought otherwise and gave him a yellow card. City had a chance when Clichy put a low cross in for Negredo, but the Spanish striker couldn`t divert on target and could only find the side netting.

Negredo again had a chance, as Samir Nasri put a cross in the area and Neuer saved from his effort with City were coming more into the game now.

Alvaro Negredo wasn`t capitalising on these chances given to him, as right before half time he headed over from a great cross by James Milner and the ex-Seville forward headed over the bar.

Half time came and both sides were probably happy with City the more so, as they were under the cosh for most of the half and were lucky not to be a few goals down at the break .

City started like they ended the first half, as a lovely ball from Gael Clichy was played into the gap for Nasri to run onto and the Frenchman was denied by Neuer as the goal keeper came off his line.

Bayern were frustrated and shown it, as they were shooting from distance as City were making it hard for them to make any inroads what so ever on City goal, the Blues looked to have taken the lead as Nasri had latched onto a Navas pass and put home, but was denied a goal as the flag went up.

City created yet another chance for Negredo, as again the forward headed right at Neuer when untroubled and let Munich off the hook when he should have done a lot better.

Then at long last..Negredo finally scored for the away side, as Nasri put a through ball for the forward to chase and get onto. And despite Martinez efforts to put the Spanish striker off Negredo put it far post to open his account for his new club and put Manchester City 1 - 0 in the Audi Cup final after 61 minutes. 

The lead lasted all of 5 minutes, when a extremely harsh decision went against Pablo Zabaleta. The Argentinian defender had gone up for a header with Muller and as the ball bounced off the Bayern player shoulder it hit the stray hand of Zabaleta as he was turning round in mid air  and hit his hand unintentionally and the German referee spotted immediately to the spot for a penalty.

via Getty images

Thomas Muller stepped up and sent Pantilimon the wrong way to equalise making it 1 - 1 after 66 minutes.

Bayern then took the lead after a cross came in down the right flank and Mario Mandzukic, much like he did in the match the night before against Sao Paulo. Just got ahead of Boyata and headed home past the City Keeper for 2 – 1 score line in the 73rd minute. Pellegrini changed his forward line as Negredo came off for goal scoring machine for City in this pre-season Edin Dzeko, as the Bosnian striker looked to add to his goal tally. 

Mario Mandzukic then struck the post with an effort to nearly put the German side up 3-1.

Dzeko came close to drawing City level in the 87^th minute, as he ran onto a ball and his effort was partially stopped by Manuel Neuer in the Bayern nets and was cleared away.

Final whistle came and City could rightfully feel robbed, as the referee awarding a spot kick for an accident hand ball was the turning point in this match. Plus had Negredo took his chances then result may have been different.

However City now continue their build up with their final pre-season game before the start of the Premier League season as they face Arsenal next Saturday in the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki Finland.