German, European and World club champions Bayern Munich have suffered a surprise 3-0 friendly thrashing at the hands of Austrian title winners Red Bull Salzburg as they look to maintain fitness ahead of their season’s resumption.
Bayern fielded a very strong side against their hosts, with Brazilian defenders Dante and Rafinha unable to halt the march of a rampant Salzburg.
Worrying for Brazil, perhaps, is the relative ease with which the Austrian outfit managed to tear apart Munich’s defensive pairing of Dante and Spaniard Javi Martinez. The former is thought to be guaranteed a place in Luiz Felipe Scolari’s World Cup squad come June but is proving himself to be more than fallible this season.
Although this was a friendly and should bear no significance to the future selections of either Pep Guardiola or Scolari, defensive stability is the mark of Brazil’s recent performances and Brazil’s manager will be hoping for a more consistent second half of the season for Dante in particular.
