Enzo Maresca began his time in charge of Manchester City with a penalty shootout defeat to Inter in Hong Kong, where a crowd of 42,286 watched the opening outing of his era.
City made the brighter start and went ahead through Divin Mubama early in the match, giving Maresca a positive moment in his first game on the touchline. Inter later responded, with Benjamin Pavard drawing the Italian side level.
With the teams unable to be separated by the end of normal time, the contest moved to penalties, where Inter came out on top. The result meant Maresca's first match as City manager ended in defeat, even though there were encouraging signs during the game itself.
For City, the match offered an early look at the team under a new coach in front of a large overseas audience. While the shootout loss was not the ideal start, the performance still provided useful early lessons as Maresca's tenure gets underway.
