Bayern beat Schalke to win pre-season League Cup again

BERLIN, July 28 (Reuters) Miroslav Klose scored his first goal for Bayern Munich to lead his new team to a 1-0 victory over Schalke 04 in the pre-season League Cup final in Leipzig today.

Klose, who joined Bayern in the close season from Werder Bremen, took advantage of defensive blunders by Schalke defender Mladen Krstajic and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, tapping in from just inside the box as he fell backwards in the 29th minute.

But Bayern, hungry for silverware after finishing a disappointing fourth last season, showed little of the flair they had displayed in thrashing Werder 4-1 and Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart 2-0 en route to the final.

They were sorely missing injured France midfielder Franck Ribery who joined Bayern in a Bundesliga record 34 million dollars transfer in the close season and has scored three goals in his first two matches for Bayern.

Still, Bayern did enough to win the trophy for the sixth time in its 11-season history and earned nearly 2 million euros in the process.

The six-team tournament, with a total 7.2 million dollars prize money, involved the top four sides in the Bundesliga last season plus German Cup winners Nuremberg and second division champions Karlsruhe.

Reuters BJR VP0048