Bayern Munich Thrash Amateur Side 27-0 in Pre-Season Game 

18 July 2023, Bavaria, Rottach-Egern: Bayern's Mathys Tel (C) in action during the friendly soccer match between FC Rottach-Egern and FC Bayern Munich.(dpa)
18 July 2023, Bavaria, Rottach-Egern: Bayern's Mathys Tel (C) in action during the friendly soccer match between FC Rottach-Egern and FC Bayern Munich.(dpa)
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Bayern Munich Thrash Amateur Side 27-0 in Pre-Season Game 

18 July 2023, Bavaria, Rottach-Egern: Bayern's Mathys Tel (C) in action during the friendly soccer match between FC Rottach-Egern and FC Bayern Munich.(dpa)
18 July 2023, Bavaria, Rottach-Egern: Bayern's Mathys Tel (C) in action during the friendly soccer match between FC Rottach-Egern and FC Bayern Munich.(dpa)

If ninth-tier side Rottach-Egern thought Bayern Munich would use Tuesday's pre-season match as a chance to gently shake off the rust after a lengthy break they were sadly mistaken, with the ruthless German champions running up a 27-0 victory.

The match was part of Bayern's training camp at Tegernsee before they embark on a tour of Asia, and amateur side Rottach-Egern were all smiles as they posed for the pre-match photo.

The smiles quickly disappeared, however, when Jamal Musiala - whose late winner in the final game of last season secured the title for Bayern - opened the scoring in just the third minute.

Bayern were 18-0 up at halftime before coach Thomas Tuchel changed his entire lineup for the second half, which was also one-way traffic.

Musiala, Marcel Sabitzer and Mathys Tel scored five goals each while Serge Gnabry netted a hat-trick, with 13 different players getting on the scoresheet.

"We're further along than before, were very hard-working. It's strenuous and challenging, but everyone's ready," Tuchel said after the game.

Playing against Rottach-Egern in pre-season has been a tradition for Bayern, who won 23-0 in 2019. Rottach-Egern did manage to score twice in a match in 2018 before going on to lose 20-2.



Palmer’s Dip in Form a ‘Mental Thing’, Says Chelsea Boss Maresca

 Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - April 20, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca talks to Cole Palmer. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - April 20, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca talks to Cole Palmer. (Action Images via Reuters)
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Palmer’s Dip in Form a ‘Mental Thing’, Says Chelsea Boss Maresca

 Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - April 20, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca talks to Cole Palmer. (Action Images via Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Fulham v Chelsea - Craven Cottage, London, Britain - April 20, 2025 Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca talks to Cole Palmer. (Action Images via Reuters)

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer's 16-game goal drought is due to a mental issue rather than a tactical or technical one, manager Enzo Maresca has said.

The 22-year-old England international had a remarkable debut campaign last season at Chelsea, scoring 27 goals and registering 15 assists in 48 matches.

This time around, however, Palmer has found the back of the net just 14 times in all competitions so far.

Maresca believes it is only a matter of time before the player breaks his drought.

"For sure it's a mental thing, it's not tactical or technical," Maresca told reporters ahead of Saturday's Premier League home game against 13th-placed Everton.

"Cole is still the player who scored 14 goals in 20 games. The style is the same, the manager is the same, the club is the same. Nothing has changed around Cole. It's just mentally in this moment.

"You can see he's a little bit worried because he wants to help the team. You can see he's struggling a bit on that. But he showed how happy he was after Fulham. It's just a matter (of whether) we can win games. For sure he's going to score goals.

"If you go back game by game, he had at least every game one or two chances, so it's not about how the team is playing."

Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League table with 57 points from 33 matches, as they chase Champions League qualification for next season. They trail fifth-placed Newcastle United by two points. At least five Premier League teams are guaranteed a spot in the 2025-26 edition of the Champions League.