Manchester City are through to the knockout stages of the FIFA Club World Cup thanks to an emphatic 6-0 win against UAE outfit Al Ain. Pep Guardiola’s side got off to the perfect start in Atlanta, with Ä°lkay GündoÄŸan firing Manchester City ahead with just eight minutes on the clock.
The 34-year-old shimmied past an Al Ain player inside the penalty area before chipping an effort over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. City continued to move the ball quickly and with purpose, looking to find gaps in the Al Ain defence.
Claudio Echeverri doubled City’s lead after 27 minutes with a pearl of a free-kick, firing his effort over the wall and past Khalid Eisa who was rooted to the spot. It was the 19-year-old’s first goal for City and what a way to score it.
Guardiola’s side won a penalty in added time at the end of the first half after Rami Rabia wrestled Manuel Akanji to the floor following a corner. Erling Haaland stepped up to send Eisa the wrong way and stroke his effort into the bottom right-hand corner.
Al Ain continued to struggle in the second half, remaining under constant pressure from the Premier League outfit. GündoÄŸan scored his second and City’s fourth of the match with just over 15 minutes left on the clock. Bernardo Silva slipped a superb ball into GündoÄŸan’s path, who skipped past Amadu Niang before chipping the ball over Eisa.
City continued to pile forward in attack, and Oscar Bobb got himself on the scoresheet five minutes from time, cutting inside from the right-hand side before lashing home. Rayan Cherki scored his first goal in Manchester City blue just a couple of minutes from the end, being teed up unselfishly by Haaland before rifling his effort first time past Eisa.
Up next for Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup is Juventus on Thursday night. Both sides have already qualified for the knockout stages, but will want to end their group campaign with a win. Meanwhile, Al Ain’s final group match is against WAC, also on Thursday.
The win is a testament to Manchester City’s dominance and quality, and they will be confident heading into the knockout stages. With a squad full of talented players, Guardiola will have plenty of options to choose from as they look to make a deep run in the competition.
The match against Juventus will be a big test for Manchester City, but they will be looking to build on the momentum they have gained from this win. With their attacking prowess and defensive solidity, they will be a team to watch out for in the knockout stages.
Manchester City’s performance in the FIFA Club World Cup has shown that they are a force to be reckoned with, and they will be looking to bring home the trophy. With their quality and depth, they have a good chance of making it to the final and lifting the trophy.