Diaz inspires Bayern to friendly win over Villa

• The Bavarian club brought some of their big guns off the bench in the second half
• Several World Cup stars, including Bayern’s Michael Olise and Harry Kane, did not travel to Hong Kong

Updated 07 August 2026 22:17

AFP

August 07, 2026 22:14

HONG KONG: A wondergoal from Luis Diaz powered a youthful Bayern Munich to a 2-1 win over Aston Villa in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on Friday.
Diaz starred in Colombia’s run to the World Cup last-16 and the winger lit up a sometimes scrappy game between last season’s German double-winners and the Europa League champions.
Bayern hit the front in the 37th minute when South Korean defender Kim Min-jae ghosted in to glance a free-kick into the far corner from the edge of the six-yard box.
The Bavarian club brought some of their big guns off the bench in the second half and started turning the screw, Diaz having a shot cleared off the line.
He stretched the lead in trademark style in the 73rd minute, picking up the ball on the left, jinking inside and cracking a dipping shot in off the crossbar.
It was a superb strike that delighted the majority of the 38,000 fans inside Kai Tak stadium who were mostly cheering for Bayern.
Villa pulled one back in the 83rd minute when new signing Joao Gomes took aim from the edge of the area and left Manuel Neuer with no chance.
They nearly equalized moments later but the legendary German stopper reacted quickly to block Tammy Abraham’s point-blank header, and Bayern closed out the game.
Several World Cup stars, including Bayern’s Michael Olise and Harry Kane, did not travel to Hong Kong.
“I told the players honestly that I was impressed (with the performance) because you know who’s there and you know who’s not there,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said.
“It’s difficult to go into these games... and still look the same, still look (like) the Bayern Munich that we can be.
“The last 10 or 15 minutes were a little bit a reflection of what pre-season is — a lot of changes... it’s (more) difficult to control in that sense, as a coach.”
Villa are adjusting to life without Morgan Rogers after the England midfielder moved to Chelsea last month for a reported British record fee of 117 million pounds ($157 million).
They face Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup on Wednesday before traveling to Brighton for their opening Premier League fixture on August 23.
Bayern kick off the new Bundesliga season at home to Stuttgart on August 28.