Bayern Munich vs. Real Madrid: Score and Reaction from 2016

It might not have been the 2014 Champions League semifinal, but Wednesday night, Real Madrid defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the International Champions Cup. 

Defender Danilo provided the lone goal of the match, which came in the 79th minute when he curled home a left-footed shot from the outside of the box into the upper left-hand corner of the goal. 

It was a rare moment of quality, as Americans received a firsthand look at these world soccer superpowers, who have combined for 64 domestic titles and 16 European Cups/Champions League titles.

However, some big names were missing, as the likes of Thomas Muller, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale were still recuperating from their Euro 2016 campaigns.

Their absences left something to be desired on the pitch at MetLife, as chances were few and far between in the first hour of the match. 

The only one of note came in the 25th minute when Munich's David Alaba's free kick rang off the post. Munich only had two shots on target all match, which was just as many as Madrid's total. 

Los Blancos finally increased the pressure in the 59th minute when a brilliant move found Alvaro Morata to the right of goal, but his attempt went wide. 

Just two minutes later, Isco unleashed a right-footed strike that beat Bayern keeper Sven Ulreich but not the left post, as it caromed away from danger. But Madrid managed to feed off that momentum and build it up to Danilo's winner.

Mariano had a chance to ice the game during the second minute of stoppage time when he was alone to the left of Ulreich's goal, but the keeper made a brilliant foot save to keep Bayern's deficit at one.

Fresh off his hat trick against Inter Milan in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bayern Munich's 21-year-old American center forward Julian Green had a much stiffer test Wednesday night against a Madrid back line that was starting three of its four defenders from the 2016 Champions League Final.

While he did go a full 90 minutes, he was significantly quieter, as he was unable to leave his mark on the match.

Real Madrid closed their ICC with a winning record after losing their opener to Paris Saint-Germain and beating Chelsea. 

They have little time to rest, as they have to go to Spain and meet rivals Sevilla on Tuesday for the UEFA Super Cup.

Bayern Munich, on the other hand, finished their ICC with two losses after a prior defeat to AC Milan in penalties. The Bavarians defeated Inter Milan in their second match of the tournament. 

They will also set their sights on gaining some silverware before the domestic season starts up, as they meet Borussia Dortmund in the DFL-Supercup Final on Aug. 14.

Post-Game Reaction

Despite his team's play in the United States this summer, Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti isn't panicking ahead of his first year with the club, via FC Bayern US:

"I have a lot of confidence in my players; and I'm sure we'll have a fantastic season." - @MrAncelotti pic.twitter.com/rfWTIxf5jh

— FC Bayern US (@FCBayernUS) August 4, 2016

There might have been a part of him that really wanted to win this game though as he was the manager of Real Madrid for two years before being sacked in May of 2015. 

After winning a Champions League title in 2014, he was fired after a trophy-less season the following year. 

His successor at Madrid and current manager Zinedine Zidane kept his post-game remarks short, per ESPN's Kieran Darcy:

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane gave a very brief postgame news conference, via translator -- we were told the team is rushing for a flight. Deflected a question about Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski possibly moving to Madrid, was pleased with performance of James and several others today. Said Cristiano Ronaldo is doing better and will be back with team in Madrid soon.

Ronaldo is recovering from an injury picked up during the final at Euro 2016 and should be ready to go after the UEFA Super Cup, which is just in time for the start of La Liga. 

In a league where supremacy is constantly contested for with Barcelona, the quicker Zidane gets Ronaldo back, the better Madrid's chances of success are. 

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