Bayern Munich vs Aston Villa: João Gomes strikes as Neuer preserves friendly win

Aston Villa concluded their pre-season tour of Asia with a 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Hong Kong, although João Gomes' first goal for the club and an encouraging late response gave Unai Emery plenty to build on ahead of the UEFA Super Cup.

Goals from Kim Min-jae and Luis Díaz put the Bundesliga champions in control, but Villa refused to fold as Gomes pulled one back before Manuel Neuer produced a superb late save to deny Tammy Abraham an equaliser.

Emery made five changes for Villa's toughest pre-season fixture, handing Boubacar Kamara a return to the starting line-up alongside Gomes in midfield, while Pau Torres, Ian Maatsen, Brian Madjo and George Hemmings also featured from the outset.

Bayern controlled much of the opening half and Marco Bizot was forced into an impressive double save to deny Josip Stanisic and Arijon Ibrahimovic.

The breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Tom Bischof's inswinging delivery found Kim Min-jae, who guided his header beyond Bizot to hand Vincent Kompany's side a deserved lead.

Villa improved after the interval and Tammy Abraham made an important contribution at the opposite end by clearing Luis Díaz's effort off the line.

The Colombian eventually doubled Bayern's advantage in the 73rd minute, driving a powerful finish beyond Bizot and in off the underside of the crossbar.

Rather than allowing the match to slip away, Villa responded positively. Gomes found space on the edge of the penalty area and fired beyond Neuer in the 82nd minute to score his first goal since arriving from Wolves earlier this summer.

The Brazilian's energetic display offered another glimpse of the qualities Villa hoped to add to their midfield, combining intensity with his willingness to drive forward from deeper positions.

Villa nearly completed the comeback moments after Gomes' strike.

Bradley Burrowes delivered into the penalty area where Abraham found space, only for Neuer to produce an outstanding close-range save to preserve Bayern's lead.

Although Emery's side fell short, the performance provided a valuable test against elite opposition before next week's UEFA Super Cup clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Villa return from their Asian tour before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday. Emery will hope to have more players approaching full match sharpness after another important outing for Kamara, while Gomes' encouraging display strengthens his case for a prominent role heading into the new season.