Man City thrash Al Ain to qualify from Club World Cup group

Manchester City 6 - 0 Al-Ain

Ilkay Gündogan scored twice as Manchester City cruised past Al-Ain to secure their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup with a commanding victory.

Author | Macca

Pep Guardiola's side followed up their opening win over Wydad AC with another dominant display, though they will need to overcome Juventus to guarantee top spot in Group G and avoid a potential meeting with the winners of Real Madrid’s group.

The City boss selected an entirely different starting lineup for the match following their opening game victory against Wydad. He gave full debuts to left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and midfielder Echeverri. Additionally, Bernardo Silva captained the team for the first time since being appointed club captain.

City opened the scoring after just eight minutes in fortuitous fashion as Gündogan’s intended cross drifted over the goalkeeper and into the far corner. The German midfielder added a second with a delicate finish after the break to round off an impressive individual performance.

In between, Claudio Echeverri marked his first start with a superb free-kick from the edge of the area, while Josko Gvardiol struck the post with a towering header as City threatened to overwhelm their opponents in the first half.

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Erling Haaland extended the lead from the penalty spot shortly before the interval after Ramy Rabia was adjudged to have fouled Manuel Akanji, the referee awarding the penalty following a VAR review.

Second-half substitutes Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki added further gloss to the scoreline. Bobb cut inside before finishing neatly at the near post, while Cherki rifled in his first goal for the club with a powerful low strike late on.

Al-Ain, who booked their place at the tournament by winning the 2024 Asian Champions League under Hernán Crespo, are now managed by former Watford boss Vladimir Ivić. But they were thoroughly outclassed by their Premier League opponents.

Who stood out?

Algerian full-back Rayan Aït-Nouri must have impressed the City boss. Signed from Wolves for £31m, he looked assured on the left flank, regularly drifting inside and delivering dangerous balls into the box that troubled the Al-Ain defence throughout.

There was also a bright showing from Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri. Given a surprise appearance ahead of Jack Grealish in last month’s FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, the youngster produced a composed finish here that will no doubt have pleased Pep Guardiola.