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Bayern in the U.S.A. MetroStars defeat European champ Munich 2-0
Updated: Wednesday May 30, 2001 10:55 PM
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) -- European champion Bayern Munich slipped to a surprise 2-0 defeat at the hands of the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in a friendly match at Giants Stadium on Saturday. Clint Mathis and Colombian forward Alex Comas scored first-half goals as the MetroStars, one of the top teams in U.S. Major League Soccer, outplayed the jet-lagged German Bundesliga champions. Bayern, which only flew in on Friday, looked sluggish and bore little resemblance to the team that beat Valencia of Spain on penalties in the European Cup final on Wednesday after the sides finished 1-1 following extra time. The MetroStars had played a day later, losing 1-0 away to MLS champion Kansas City Wizards on Thursday. Goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, the hero of the penalty shootout with three saves, was one of several Bayern stars missing.
Jens Jeremies, Thomas Linke and Bixente Lizarazu were also absent, while Carsten Jancker did not make the trip after he discovered at the airport that he had left his passport at home. Bayern was still able to field a lineup that averaged about 19 Bundesliga appearances this season, despite goalkeeper Bernd Dreher having seen only one game. Mathis, the top scorer in the MLS, opened the scoring in the 36th minute when he intercepted a bad backpass by Tarnat and chipped the ball over Dreher from 20 yards. Comas made it 2-0 seven minutes later when he headed home a left-wing cross by Mark Chung from 12 yards. "The team had some problems to get beyond the tiredness we had accumulated the last few days," Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "They also had a lot of reasons to celebrate Wednesday and Thursday. But they still showed character and tried the best they could. When you're tired, you're making mistakes and the MetroStars exploited them." MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano said: "For our guys, emotionally it means a lot. This gives you the kind of emotional lift that you can carry." Hitzfeld complimented the MetroStars. "I could see them playing in the Bundesliga first division," he said.
Goalscorer Mathis said: "That's very flattering. That's the kind of stance we want to take. We want to show we can play with the rest of the world." A crowd of 30,523 attended the game at Giants Stadium. Bayern had only three potential substitutes on their bench including assistant coach Thomas Henke, who replaced defender Michael Tarnat in the 85th minute. SummaryScoringMET--Mathis (unassisted) 36
BAYERN MUNICH--Bernd Dreher, Michael Wiesinger (Slawomir Wojciechowski 70), Ciriaco Sforza, Stefan Effenberg, Thorsten Fink, Michael Tarnat (Thomas Henke 84), Hasan Salihamidzic, Owen Hargreaves, Alexander Zickler, Paulo Sergio, Roque Santa Cruz. TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Paulo Sergio 3, Zickler 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Zickler 3); FOULS: 17 (Hargreaves 7); OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: Dreher 7; CAUTIONS: Sforza 49, Hargreaves 84, Salihamidzic 90; EJECTIONS: none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 63% METROSTARS--Tim Howard (Paul Grafer 46), Steve Jolley, Mike Petke, Mark Semioli, Pedro Alvarez, Richie Williams (Martin Klinger 88), Tab Ramos (Petter Villegas 46), Mark Chung, Steve Shak, Clint Mathis (Orlando Perez 70), Alex Comas (Rodrigo Faria 74). TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Mathis 6); SHOTS ON GOAL: 11 (Mathis 5); FOULS: 16 (Petke 3); OFFSIDE: 5; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 6 (Grafer 5, Howard 1); CAUTIONS: Petke 42; EJECTIONS: none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 37% Referee: Noel Kenny; Referee's Assistants: Robert Fereday, John Konstantinidis Attendance: 30,253
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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