Manchester City falls to Inter in shootout during Maresca's inaugural match

Enzo Maresca expressed his delight on Saturday, despite Manchester City's defeat to Inter Milan in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, which ended in a 3-1 penalty shootout loss after the teams drew 1-1.

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Maresca's first game in charge saw Matteo Lavelli score the decisive spot-kick, as the Italian champions emerged victorious, with Maresca having taken over from Pep Guardiola in June.

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The Manchester City boss stated, "I'm very happy with the performance," and highlighted the importance of game minutes for his players, while also acknowledging areas for improvement.

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Maresca added that his team would "slowly, slowly" improve, indicating a sense of patience and gradual progress, as they work to address their weaknesses.

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The pre-season friendly got off to an open start, with City taking the lead in the 14th minute through Divin Mubama, who scored from close range after Antoine Semenyo's cross.

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Semenyo was a constant threat, and nearly scored a solo goal when he beat several Inter defenders, but was denied by goalkeeper Josep Martinez, in a impressive display of skill.

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Inter equalised soon after, as Benjamin Pavard slotted home from near the penalty spot, after City failed to clear a Jamal Iddrissou cross, levelling the score.

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The game saw both teams miss golden chances after the restart, but the pace slowed as substitutions were made, with City's Vitor Reis and Ryan McAidoo both hitting the crossbar and post respectively.

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Maresca analysed the first half performance, saying, "We were pressing in the wrong way, we conceded some switches of play… because we were late in the pressing," highlighting a key area for improvement.

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He noted that adjustments were made at half-time, and the team's pressing improved significantly in the second half, showing a positive response to the changes.

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Maresca faces a challenging task in succeeding Guardiola, who won 20 trophies in his decade at City, and will be looking to avoid the pitfalls that have affected other clubs after the departure of successful managers.

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Manchester United's decline after Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 serves as a cautionary tale, and Maresca will be aware of the need to maintain City's high standards.

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A crowd of nearly 43,000 attended the match at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Stadium, although the atmosphere was subdued at times due to patches of unsold seats.

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Several of City's World Cup stars, including Erling Haaland and Rodri, did not travel to Hong Kong, and Maresca has confirmed they will not join the squad for the remaining Asia tour games.

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City will face a K League all-star team and Atletico Madrid in their next two matches, before taking on Arsenal in the Community Shield on August 16, and starting their Premier League season against Bournemouth a week later.

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Inter, meanwhile, will round off their pre-season with a derby against AC Milan and a match against Juventus in Perth, Australia, before beginning their Serie A title defence against Monza on August 22.