Bayern Munich overcome RB Leipzig as Ismael Saibari creates late goal on debut

Bayern Munich began their preparations for the new season with a 3-1 friendly victory over RB Leipzig at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, with new signing Ismael Saibari making an immediate contribution on his first appearance for the club.

Luis Diaz opened the scoring for the hosts after 14 minutes, giving Bayern a 1-0 lead at half-time. The Colombia international finished the opening period as the only scorer after Bayern established control of the match early on.

RB Leipzig responded seven minutes after the restart when Brajan Gruda equalised in the 52nd minute. Bayern restored their advantage five minutes later, with Nathaniel Brown converting after being set up by Aleksandar Pavlovic.

Saibari entered the game in the 71st minute, replacing Tom Bischof. The Morocco international joined Bayern this summer from PSV Eindhoven and needed only 10 minutes to make his mark.

He provided the assist for Bayern’s third goal, finding fellow substitute Jamal Musiala, who extended the home side’s lead. Musiala’s involvement was cut short, however, after he fainted and was forced to leave the pitch in the 86th minute. The Senegalese youngster Bara Ndiaye came on in his place.

The result forms part of Bayern’s build-up to the new campaign. Their next major test will come in the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund next Saturday.

Bayern will then begin their Bundesliga campaign against Stuttgart on 28 August. The match against RB Leipzig provided further playing time for the squad and offered Saibari an early opportunity to introduce himself to his new team-mates and supporters.

The friendly also gave Bayern a chance to assess their attacking options ahead of their competitive fixtures, with Diaz opening the scoring, Brown restoring the lead and Saibari helping Musiala complete the scoring. Leipzig’s brief fightback through Gruda was not enough to prevent the Bavarian side from securing victory at the Allianz Arena.