Bayern Munich clinch fourth Telekom Cup

Bayern Munich defended their Telekom Cup title after beating Werder Bremen 2-0 in the final of the four-team tournament in Monchengladbach.

The German giants start with a title into their preparations as the "Bavarians" overcame Hoffenheim and Bremen to lift the Telekom Cup for the fourth time on Saturday after 2013, 2014 and January 2017, Xinhua news agency reported.

Carlo Ancelotti's men set the course for the final in the first game as Juan Bernat's build up work allowed Robert Lewandowski to mark the only goal of the 45-minutes match with a sideways scissor-kick in the 7th minute.

Bayern dominated Hoffenheim but were unable to add another goal despite promising opportunities through Thiago Alcantara, who rattled the post with a header, and Thomas Mueller, who saw his effort defused by goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, in the closing period.

The German record champions maintained their momentum for the final against Werder Bremen as a lively performance from new arrival James Rodriguez and goals from Thomas Mueller and Juan Bernat smoothed the way for the fourth triumph.

The "Green-Whites" staged a resilient performance against Bayern as Jerome Gondorf's dangerous header went just wide in the opening period. However, Bayern increased the pressure as the game progressed and opened the scoring after Rafinha found Thomas Mueller following a one-two combination with James Rodriguez.

Mueller remained in the thick of things as he provided the assist for Juan Bernat, who sealed the deal with the 2-0 lead in the 34th minute.

"We definitely wanted to win and to play well and I think we have surpassed our expectations for a preparation tournament," Mueller said.

Hosts Borussia Monchengladbach completed the tournament on the fourth place after losing to Werder Bremen and Hoffenheim.

On Sunday, Bayern Munich will travel to China and Singapore as part of their 12-day Audi Summer Tour.

The titleholder will kick off the Bundesliga season 2017-2018 against Bayer Leverkusen on August 18.

--IANS

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