Weary from a week's punishing mid-season training in Dubai, Bayern will be pleased enough with a 2-1 win against lively Iranian cracks Perspolis in capital city Tehran on Friday.
Twenty-two of the Munich stars gained useful mid-season match practice as coach Felix Magath sent out different line-ups for each half of the friendly meeting with the serial Iranian champions.
The local media swarmed around former Perspolis hero Ali Karimi at the Asadi stadium beforehand, and the first half witnessed a family duel on the pitch as Ali's brother Fahid took over in goal for the home side a short time into the game.
Home side in determined mood
Roared on by the fanatical crowd and inspired by the consistently excellent Javad Kazemian, Perspolis poured forward at the start, forcing Olli Kahn into a couple of sharp early saves.
Valerien Ismael volleyed just wide on the quarter hour, but it came as no surprise when Ali Ansarian put the home side ahead from the penalty spot after Ismael was adjudged to have fouled Kazemian on 26 minutes.
The opener served as a wake-up call for the visitors and Michael Ballack rose to glance Zé Roberto's flighted free-kick past Fahid Karimi and level on 35 minutes.
Paolo on target
Chances arrived at both ends in an increasingly entertaining phase before the interval. Ansarian hit the bar with Kahn stranded, but Bayern raced up the other end and Paolo Guerrero put his side in front with a shot on the turn from Philipp Lahm's weighted pass a minute from half-time.
Zé Roberto spurned a glorious opening created by Ali Karimi's clever flick, but that was that for the attacking duo as – literally – a totally different Munich side appeared for the second half.
The line-up after the interval produced Bayern's best spell of the game in the run-up to the hour in response to the promptings of Mehmet Scholl and Sebastian Deisler, but Claudio Pizarro and Roy Makaay missed good opportunities, before Scholl amazingly directed a shot from three yards directly at prone keeper Karimi with the goal gaping.
Scholl adds impulse
The netminder then thanked his lucky stars when Scholl's 63rd minute free-kick rebounded from the post and his back but failed to cross the line.
With the pitch cutting up and Red legs increasingly heavy, the defensive triangle of Owen Hargreaves and centre-halves Andreas Ottl and Martin Demichelis focused on keeping the home side at bay, with second half keeper Michael Rensing pulling off a couple of neat saves to preserve the victory.
Peruvian strikers Claudio Pizarro and Paolo Guerrero staged a rescue mission to send Bayern Munich through to the German Cup semi-finals with a 3-2 extra-time win over Mainz on Tuesday.
