2nd August 2026 – (Hong Kong) Inter Milan secured victory in the opening fixture of the Hong Kong Football Festival, overcoming Manchester City 3-1 in a penalty shootout after the sides were locked at 1-1 following regular time at Kai Tak Main Stadium. A crowd of 42,826 spectators attended the pre-season encounter, which delivered an entertaining contest marked by attacking intent from both teams. Manchester City struck first in the 14th minute when Antoine Semenyo advanced down the left flank and delivered a cross into the box for Divin Mubama, who finished from close range to give the Premier League side the lead.
Inter responded swiftly. Six minutes later, Benjamin Pavard found himself unmarked inside the penalty area and calmly converted to bring the Italian champions level.
Both managers made a series of changes after the interval as they rotated their squads. City introduced four substitutes, including withdrawing Mubama, while Inter made five alterations, bringing on midfielder Davide Frattesi and defender Alessandro Bastoni among others.
City enjoyed the better of the second half in terms of attacking pressure but were repeatedly thwarted, striking both the crossbar and the upright without managing to restore their advantage. Inter continued to reshuffle their line-up and, by the 78th minute, had replaced their entire starting eleven, including goalkeeper Josip Martinez.
With neither side able to find a decisive goal, the match proceeded to a penalty shootout. After four rounds, Claudio Echeverri was the only City player to convert from the spot. Inter, by contrast, successfully dispatched efforts through Piotr Zielinski, Mattia Mosconi and Matteo Lavelli, sealing a 3-1 shootout triumph.
Pavard, who scored Inter’s equaliser during normal time, was named Man of the Match following the final whistle.