Munich (Germany) (AFP)

The addition could have been saltier: Olympique de Marseille, in full summer preparation and outrageously dominated, lost 1-0 on Friday in Munich in a prestigious friendly match against Bayern, eight times reigning German champion and still in the race for the final victory in the Champions League.

OM, who played their fourth preseason match before the resumption of Ligue 1 on August 21 against ASSE, suffered defensively, saved by a good match from their captain Steve Mandanda but logically gave in to the 19th minute after a beautiful goal from Gnabry (19th).

The difference in preparation between the two teams, who had lined up their typical teams, was glaring as the Olympians, who have not played an official match for nearly five months, suffered in the first period.

Unable to get out of their own half of the field, OM relied on Mandanda, author of several decisive saves, against Kimmich (40th), Müller (44th) or even Davies (45 + 1).

"It's a purely commercial match, it is not in my schedule for the preparation," had tried to put Marseille coach André Villa-Boas into perspective on Thursday. And it was seen on the ground.

Under 32 degrees and on the lawn of Bayern Campus, training center of the five-time European champion, the Bavarians immediately put a lot of pressure on the Olympians, weaned from balls and reduced to defend.

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Bayern materialized this domination in the 19th minute: served by Alaba at the entrance to the area, Serge Gnabry, left alone, eliminated with a fake strike Alvaro and deceived Mandanda with his left foot flush with the right post.

Offensively, the Marseille trio Thauvin-Benedetto-Payet, aligned for the first time, had nothing to eat.

The pace fell after the hour mark, when the two clubs made many changes, with Bayern putting their owners in the cold for the shock against Chelsea next Saturday.

On the Marseille side, on the contrary, the two recruits, central defender Leonardo Balerdi and midfielder Pape Gueye, came into play.

The Olympians had played three preparation matches so far for mixed results, with two victories against clubs from D3 Austria and D4 Germany, before stumbling against FC Dac, Slovakian elite team.

They will continue their preparation with matches scheduled against Montpellier (August 5), Nîmes (August 9) and VfB Stuttgart (August 14).

Bayern has its eyes riveted on its last goal of the season: to win the Champions League, a trophy that the Bavarians have not raised since 2013.

© 2020 AFP