Maresca's Debut: Man City Falls to Inter in Penalties

Enzo Maresca, who took over as the head coach of Manchester City in June, made his debut on Saturday in a pre-season friendly against Inter Milan in Hong Kong. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, leading to a penalty shootout where Inter Milan triumphed 3-1, with Matteo Lavelli scoring the decisive penalty.

City took the lead in the 14th minute through Divin Mubama, assisted by Antoine Semenyo. Inter equalized shortly after with a goal from Benjamin Pavard.

Maresca noted that while there were many positive aspects to the performance, including valuable playing time for the squad, there were also areas needing improvement, particularly in pressing tactics. Nearly 43,000 fans attended the match at Kai Tak Stadium, although some seats remained unsold.

Key players Erling Haaland and Rodri did not travel with the squad for the Asia tour. Manchester City will face Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 16 and begin their Premier League season against Bournemouth a week later.