Maresca loses first match as Inter beat Man City on penalties

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter at Kai Tak Stadium, Hong Kong

Enzo Maresca's first game in charge of Manchester City ended in a defeat on penalties by Inter Milan after a 1-1 friendly draw in Hong Kong.

Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola this summer and the new boss got the perfect start when Divin Mubama scored the opener from close range on 14 minutes.

Benjamin Pavard equalised for Inter six minutes later, but neither team were able to find a winner in the second half.

The damage was done when City missed their first three spot-kicks, with Matteo Lavelli netting the winner for Inter.

How did the City players perform?

Starting XI

Gianluigi Donnarumma: Played the full 90 minutes. Made a decent save to deny Aleksandar Stankovic, but was shaky at times. Lucky not to concede when he flapped at a cross and gave the ball away straight to an opposition player before making amends. 5

Rico Lewis: Vastly improved after moving into midfield in the second half. Blazed over a shot from the edge of the box and should have done better with a poked effort from close range. 7

Abdukodir Khusanov: A mixed bag from the Uzbek. Played a delightful through ball that Antoine Semenyo almost latched on to and made a vital block late on, but received a booking and saw his penalty saved in the shootout. 6

Josko Gvardiol: Poor clearance led to Inter's opening goal. Still trying to find his best form after missing five months last season with a broken leg. 5

Stephen Mfuni: One of two youngsters named in the starting XI. Skinned by Andy Diouf but Inter were unable to convert. 6

Mateo Kovacic: There are doubts about the Croatian's future this summer but he put in a busy performance in midfield in the 45 minutes he played. 6

Tijjani Reijnders: Struck a low shot in the first half which was gathered by Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez but nothing remarkable otherwise. First game of pre-season but felt like a missed opportunity to impress. 6

Antoine Semenyo: Gave Inter full-back Diouf a torrid half. The Ghana international created the first goal and should have scored following a superb solo run but was denied by Martinez. 8

Savinho: The Brazilian is open to leaving City, with Tottenham exploring a move again, but he looked lively and a team-mate could not finish off a cutback following a fine run from the right. 7

Phil Foden: With a vacancy in the captain role, Foden took the armband for the game and took charge of all set-pieces without creating too much. 6

Divin Mubama: Spent last season on loan at Stoke - but can he break into the City first team? A poacher's finish won't do his chances any harm. 7

Substitutes

Rayan Ait-Nouri: Aiming to impress after a disappointing first season at the club. A delightful cross from the left could not be finished off by Nico Gonzalez. Blazed horribly over in the shootout. 5

Vitor Reis: A very good 45-minute showing. Displayed his reading of the game and ability to command with an interception in the second half to deny Francesco Pio Esposito a run through on goal. Smashed against the crossbar at the other end. 7

Max Alleyne: Confident with the ball at his feet. Broke into the first team last season with seven appearances - will there be more to come this time around? 6

Nico Gonzalez: Tidy in possession and kept things ticking while dragging a shot wide from a promising position. Suffered an injury scare in the second half before missing in the shootout. 6

Ryan McAidoo: Impressive from the teenager. Unlucky not to score when he struck a low effort against the post and then fired another shot narrowly wide. 7

Mahamadou Sangare: Starved of any service after coming on. 6

Claudio Echeverri: Could have won it late on but saw a goal-bound shot blocked. His mark is bumped up after scoring an audacious 'Panenka' in the shootout. 7

Kaden Braithwaite: Showed endeavour with the brief time he got on the pitch. 6

Unused subs: Jack Wint, Max Chabot, Jeremy Monga, Floyd Samba, Jayden Heskey, Matty Henderson-Hall, Xavier Parker

Player of the match

A. Semenyo
8.00
42 A. Semenyo
8.00
47 P. Foden
7.92
25 G. Donnarumma
7.54
45 A. Khusanov
7.48
24 J. Gvardiol
7.48
56 R. McAidoo
7.38
67 D. Mubama
7.37
91 S. Mfuni
7.33
8 M. Kovačić
7.25
71 M. Sangaré
7.11
26 Savinho
7.09
68 M. Alleyne
7.08
4 T. Reijnders
7.08
82 R. Lewis
7.05
30 C. Echeverri
6.94
61 K. Braithwaite
6.83
22 Vitor Reis
6.78
14 Nico González
6.69
21 R. Aït-Nouri
6.62
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After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

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