Maresca's first outing ends in a draw and a shootout defeat
Enzo Maresca's first game in charge of City finished level after 90 minutes, with Divin Mubama and Benjamin Pavard trading goals before Inter Milan took the bonus point on penalties in Hong Kong on Saturday.
The Italian's reign began with a 1-1 draw, a result that will hardly have anyone reaching for the panic button in July, though the 3-1 shootout loss to the Serie A side gives the scoreline a slightly more jagged edge than the performance warranted.
Mubama, the young forward, put the Blues ahead in the 14th minute with a close-range finish after Antoine Semenyo's cross from the byline. It was the kind of direct, decisive move Maresca will want to see more of as pre-season rolls on.
Inter's reply came six minutes later, Pavard restoring parity with a goal that left the scores level at the break and beyond. From there, neither side could find a winner, and the game drifted to penalties, where Inter's 3-1 success settled the day's business.
“I am very happy,” Maresca said afterwards, per the club's official channels.
The draw is the headline, the shootout defeat a footnote. For a first competitive-ish outing, there were worse ways to start. The real tests, of course, come when the season proper begins.