Aston Villa player ratings v Bayern Munich after Unai Emery’s side ended their Asian tour with a 2-1 defeat in Hong Kong.
João Gomes scored his first Villa goal and emerged as the standout performer, while Marco Bizot kept the score down before Tammy Abraham threatened a dramatic late equaliser.
Kim Min-jae headed Bayern ahead before half-time, with Luis Díaz doubling the advantage after coming from the bench.
Gomes responded eight minutes from time before Manuel Neuer produced an excellent save to deny Abraham and preserve Bayern’s victory.
ReadAstonVilla’s full Bayern Munich 2-1 Aston Villa match report covers all three goals and Villa’s late push.
Aston Villa player ratings v Bayern Munich
Marco Bizot: 7/10
Villa needed Bizot during Bayern’s strongest periods and the goalkeeper produced an excellent double save to deny Josip Stanisic and Arijon Ibrahimovic.
He had little chance with Kim’s close-range header. Díaz’s powerful second went in off the underside of the bar, although Bizot may feel he could have got a stronger hand to it.
Matty Cash: 6.5/10
A fairly solid afternoon against difficult opposition. Cash defended his side of the pitch reasonably well and provided experience in a defence put under sustained pressure.
Victor Lindelöf: 6/10
Had plenty of defending to do as Bayern controlled long spells. Generally composed but Villa struggled collectively to prevent the German champions playing around their defensive shape.
Pau Torres: 6/10
Comfortable enough when Villa had possession, but Bayern’s pressure regularly prevented Emery’s side from establishing their normal rhythm from the back.
Ian Maatsen: 6.5/10
One of Villa’s steadier performers during a difficult first half. Competed well defensively and still looked willing to advance when opportunities appeared.
Boubacar Kamara: 6.5/10
Another important step in his return from a long-term knee injury.
Kamara gave Villa greater positional security alongside Gomes, even if Bayern’s intensity made building through midfield difficult. ReadAstonVilla analysed before kick-off how Kamara could give the £38m summer signing greater freedom, and there were encouraging glimpses of that relationship.
João Gomes: 8/10
Villa’s best player.
Gomes competed aggressively throughout and refused to disappear from the contest when Bayern took control.
His reward arrived late on when he moved into space around the edge of the penalty area and finished beyond Neuer for his first Aston Villa goal.
The Brazilian also looked increasingly influential as Villa finally began pushing Bayern backwards. His performance strengthened the case for Gomes and Kamara starting together against PSG.
Evann Guessand: 5.5/10
A frustrating afternoon.
Guessand struggled to turn promising positions into meaningful attacks and never consistently unsettled Bayern’s defence. Villa will need more end product from him when competitive football begins.
Emi Buendía: 6/10
Tried to provide the link between midfield and attack but found space difficult to locate against Bayern’s pressing structure.
There were tidy moments without enough decisive attacking influence.
George Hemmings: 6/10
A demanding assignment for the youngster against elite opposition.
Worked hard and gained valuable experience, although Bayern limited the opportunities for Villa’s attacking players to show themselves.
Brian Madjo: 5.5/10
Starved of service for much of his time on the pitch.
Villa struggled to establish possession high enough up the pitch to involve Madjo regularly, making this a difficult game from which to judge him.
Substitutes
Tammy Abraham: 7/10
Made an impact at both ends.
Abraham produced an important goal-line clearance to deny Díaz shortly before Bayern’s second, then nearly rescued a draw late on.
Bradley Burrowes found him with an inviting cross, but Neuer reacted brilliantly to keep out his close-range header.
For a striker whose future remains uncertain, this was another encouraging contribution.
Bradley Burrowes: 6.5/10
Added energy during Villa’s late improvement and delivered the excellent cross from which Abraham almost equalised.
The academy winger made good use of his opportunity against high-level opposition.
Other late substitutes: 6/10
Villa’s younger replacements helped inject more urgency into the closing stages, although there was not enough playing time to fairly separate their individual performances.
The official Aston Villa match report confirmed Emery used the fixture as the final test of Villa’s Asian tour before Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain.
Villa were second best for substantial periods, but Gomes’ performance and the late response prevented the afternoon ending on a flat note.
For Emery, attention now turns to Salzburg and a considerably more important meeting with the European champions.
