Mario Gotze’s late goal led German champions Bayern Munich to a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday, a match the Bundesliga side dominated from start to finish in front of the Shanghai crowd.

Bayern boss Pep Guardiola began with an experienced side for the pre-season friendly, including new signing Douglas Costa, as noted by the club’s official Twitter feed:

Inter coach Roberto Mancini also posted a familiar lineup, which included new midfield behemoth Geoffrey Kondogbia:

Bayern’s prodding and probing defined the first half, but even so, Samir Handanovic was barely tested between the Inter sticks. 

Costa made a positive impression down the right flank with his explosive play. He shifted the ball quickly, utilising his natural confidence on the ball to toy with Inter’s young full-back Federico Dimarco, noted Bayern’s feed:

The 24-year-old worked well alongside Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, providing a range of runs in-field and down the byline to keep Mancini’s side penned in.

Muller continued to support his team-mates by providing late runs into the box. His saunters nearly saw the deadlock broken as half-time approached, but his low shot travelled beyond the nearest defender and wide of Handanovic’s post.

Prior to this, Muller’s clever pass allowed what should have been a simple tap-in for Philipp Lahm, but the veteran’s finish was brilliantly cleared off the line by new Inter man Jeison Murillo, per Bayern:

Lahm was forced off shortly after, but his club confirmed the injury isn’t going to provide a long-term problem:

Bayern continued to enjoy greater possession after the break. However, the sides’ attacking consistency diminished after a plethora of changes for both teams, but Inter never looked like beating Manuel Neuer. Pierre Hojbjerg went close for Bayern with a deflected free-kick on the 56-minute mark as plenty of youngsters—including Gotze—entered the fray.

B/R UK’s Stefan Bienkowski bemoaned the lack of firepower from Inter:

However, the Italian side’s fans were in full voice, as highlighted by the Serie A club:

It was Gotze who made the difference inside the final 10 minutes with a cool moment of skill. He found acres of space behind Inter’s much-changed defensive line before skipping around Handanovic and slotting into the gaping goal, tweeted the club:

Gotze is currently linked with a move away from the Allianz Arena, as reported by Bild (h/t Mark Rodden of ESPN FC), speculation not lost on Bienkowski:

Bayern easily saw the game out without much trouble. Guardiola will be pleased to see his side playing fast-paced, possession-based football at this point. However, he will no doubt pinpoint greater efficiency in front of goal as a key area of improvement ahead of the Bundesliga campaign.

Inter were lifeless and lacked ambition, but they will be hoping to quickly bounce back when they face local rivals AC Milan during Saturday’s International Champions Cup match in Shenzhen.

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