Barcelona entered the Allianz Arena expecting the worst last night; up against their former coach, without a single minute of pre-season action under their belts, the Blaugrana were certainly underdogs -- but over the course of the 90 minutes in Munich, Barca at least competed with the reigning European Champions. Admittedly, that wasn't enough to win the match, or even mount a sustained period of pressure on the Bayern Munich defense; but it was an improvement and at this early stage of pre-season, that's an encouraging sign for new coach Gerardo Martino.
Presumably watching the match from the comfort of his own home in Argentina, Martino will have been impressed with some performances, and slightly disappointed with others, while it was impossible not to be encouraged by the valiant efforts of the second-half, second-string, line-up.
Thankfully, a summer of "rest" hasn't affected Lionel Messi in the slightest -- his finishing may have been a little bit"off", but he looks ready to start the season tomorrow and Cristian Tello looks as if he is well-positioned to build upon his break-out campaign. Cutting inside the challenge of Jerome Boateng with relative ease, Tello created one of the game's best chances for himself just before half-time, only to misjudge his finish.
Sergi Roberto looked solid -- more on him and his role later -- while Adriano prevented a couple of possible goals with two excellent last-ditch clearances. Bayern Munich may have been too strong for the visitors, but on the basis of this match, their path to UEFA Champions League glory might not be as clear as they had previously hoped.
More from Barca Blaugranes:
- FC Barcelona 2012/13 Season in Review: Sergio Busquets
- Bayern Munich 2-0 FC Barcelona: Match Review
- FC Barcelona News: 24 July 2013; 23 Players Travel to Munich for Friendly, Martino to be Presented on Friday
- FC Barcelona 2012/13 Season in Review: Eric Abidal
- FC Barcelona News: 23 July 2013; Gerardo "Tata" Martino Confirmed as Barça Coach, Poland Friendly Rescheduled