- Hosts defeat Manchester United in penalty shoot-out
- 130,000 spectators witness anniversary tournament in Munich
- Audi CEO Rupert Stadler: ‘A dream finale for the fans’
The premiere of the Audi Cup ended with a spectacular finale on Thursday night in Munich: FC Bayern München won with a score of 7:6 against Manchester United in the penalty shoot-out and thus clinched the 60-centimeter high Audi Cup for its extensive trophy collection in Munich. The match winner in the sold-out Allianz Arena was goal-keeper Michael Rensing, who saved the crucial penalty kick.
A total of 130,000 soccer fans watched the tournament live on both days of playing in Munich. The Audi Cup was the sporting highlight of the celebrations held on the occasion of Audi’s 100th anniversary. ‘The spectators experienced two days of top-class soccer by four top-caliber teams and, in addition, a thrilling penalty shoot-out,’ said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. ‘We extend cordial congratulations to FC Bayern München on this successful start to the new season.’
For 90 minutes, no goals were scored in the finale of the two arch rivals so that a penalty shoot-out had to bring about the decision: Michael Rensing saved two penalty kicks and thus put his club, in which he continues fighting for the number one position in the goal, on the winners’ road. The goal-keeper was also selected as the most valuable player in this match. ‘A great feeling playing to zero first and then saving two penalty kicks,’ said a pleased Michael Rensing in response to the congratulations.
In the game for third place the decision was also made only after the regular playing time. AC Milan looked like the sure winner for a long time: In the 27th minute Silva shot the leading goal for the Italians, only three minutes before the final whistle Viatri achieved the late equalizer for Boca Juniors that resulted in rounds of cheering In the penalty shoot-out the guests from Argentina won against the squad of super star Ronaldinho and secured third place in the tournament.
The most valuable player of the small finale in the opinion of the judging panel which, among others, included Volkswagen Group CEO Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and DFB Sports Director Matthias Sammer, was the Italian Gennaro Gattuso. In the experts’ view he excelled at delivering a strong running performance as well as by his good passes and rate of duels. The decisions of the panel were assisted by a ‘player tracking’, which records all statistical data of the players in the field. The selections were coordinated on both days by the Audi Institute for Sport Communication.
For those would like to watch the most emotional moments of the Audi Cup 2009 again: Summaries of all games and current reports about the tournament can be viewed on the internet at www.audi.tv.
- Audi AG
