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Bayern Munich lose to Cologne in Julian Nagelsmann’s first game

 

Bayern Munich lost the first game of the Julian Nagelsmann era after Cologne beat them by the odd goal in five in a highly entertaining pre-season encounter in Villingen on Saturday.

Despite being without star striker Robert Lewandowski, Bayern didn’t take long to show why they are nine-in-a-row Bundesliga champions. Cologne failed to deal with some early pressure from Nagelsmann’s team, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting preventing a cross from being fully cleared. That afforded Armindo Sieb the chance to smash home the loose ball from the right of the penalty spot to give Bayern the lead. Cologne skipper Jonas Hector had a volley deflected off target from inside the area before Omar Richards – the ex-England U21 left-back who was making his Bayern debut along with former RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano – threatened at the other end

The first half was being played at a frantic pace in front of 6,000 supporters, and soon Cologne were level. Hector clipped a ball over the top for Jan Thielmann to run on to and he beat both the offside trap and Bayern goalkeeper Sven Ulreich. Seven minutes after that Cologne hit the front for the first time, Mark Uth hooking home brilliantly on the turn from Thielmann’s left-wing cross.

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New Cologne boss Steffen Baumgart would have been pleased by that, but less so by some of his side’s defending. When Cologne lost the ball in their own half with 10 minutes to play until half-time, Bayern ruthlessly punished them. Choupo-Moting, American Taylor Booth and Joshua Zirkzee combined swiftly to do the damage, with Booth laying the ball across for Dutch striker Zirkzee to make it 2-2 before cologne grabbed a third.

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