Man City Crush Al-Ain 6-0 to Reach Club World Cup Knockouts
It was all blue in Orlando on Sunday as Manchester City demolished UAE's Al-Ain 6-0 in a dominant display, storming into the knockout stage of the Club World Cup.
The victory, led by two goals from Ilkay Gundogan, sees City advance from Group G alongside Juventus, who earlier beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1.
Pep Guardiola's side showed off their squad depth with 11 changes to the starting XI—and it worked. Gundogan opened the scoring in the ninth minute with a cheeky lofted shot before sealing the brace in the 73rd minute with a composed finish.
'A really good performance,' said Gundogan post-match. 'The result speaks for itself, and in the end, fully deserved.'
City's young talent was also on full display. Teen sensation Claudio Etcheverri scored a stunning free kick on his first start, while Erling Haaland converted a penalty in stoppage time after missing two earlier chances.
Substitutes Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki added late goals to seal the rout, drawing City level on goal difference with Juventus. The two giants face off this Thursday to decide who tops Group G.
Despite Al-Ain showing more fight than in their previous 5-0 loss to Juve, they couldn't handle City's relentless attack. Keeper Khalid Eisa was kept busy, managing a few key saves but ultimately overwhelmed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
36 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Alonso backs Ruediger after he suffered alleged racist abuse
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said he believed Antonio Ruediger when the player told him he was a victim of racist abuse during their 3-1 win against Mexican side Pachuca at the Club World Cup on Sunday. Referee Ramon Abatti crossed his forearms in front of his chest, which signals the activation of the anti-racism protocol, five minutes into stoppage time after a brief scuffle erupted following a foul on Germany international Ruediger. Asked if Ruediger had been the victim of racism during the game, Alonso told a press conference: "That's what Ruediger said, and we believe him. "It is important to have zero tolerance in these kinds of situations. Fifa now is investigating. That's all I can say." It was not immediately clear whether the alleged abuse came from the crowd or an opponent. Soccer's governing body Fifa was not immediately in a position to clarify the incident when contacted by Reuters, as it still awaits the referee's report. Ruediger, 32, has been the target of racist abuse several times when playing for Chelsea, both on the pitch and online, AS Roma and Real Madrid.
Khaleej Times
36 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Club World Cup: Erik apologises to Al Ain fans after big defeat to Man City
Al Ain's Brazilian defender Erik Jorgens de Menezes has apologised to fans following the team's 6-0 defeat to Premier League giants Manchester City in a Group G clash at the Club World Cup on Monday. Needing at least a draw in Atlanta to stay alive in the tournament, Al Ain failed to cope with the class and the tempo of the 10-time English champions on the field. Veteran German international Ilkay Gundogan scored the first goal for City before Claudio Echeverri, the 19-year-old Argentinian, found the back of the net with a stunning free kick. Norwegian star striker Erland Haaland put City in command with the team's third goal in the stoppage time of the first half. City continued to press for goals in the second half as Gundogan scored his second of the match in the 74th minute before substitutes Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki completed the demolition job. In the expanded 32-team tournament, it was always going to be a challenge for clubs from Asia and Africa to give the European powerhouses a run for their money. However, Erik insisted that the battle between City and Al Ain would not have been one-sided if they had not made some defensive errors. 'At this high level of competition, there is no room for negligence and mistakes. We had committed some mistakes in our first match (against Juventus), and some of those mistakes were repeated in today's match,' the Brazilian said. 'In a mega event like this, even the smallest details can make the difference. And if you ignore that, it's difficult to earn a positive result.' Al Ain, who had lost their first match to Italian club Juventus 5-0, are now out of the tournament. The 14-time UAE champions have only the pride to play for in their inconsequential Group G match against Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca on June 26. 'I deeply apologise from the bottom of my heart. Al Ain fans know me very well, so they are well aware that from the first day for me with the team I have been dreaming of claiming the mega accomplishments and playing some big matches,' Erik said. Meanwhile, Moroccan winger Nassim Al Chadli hoped the team would put up a much better display in their final match of the tournament against Wydad on Thursday. 'We play for Al Ain Football Club, which is one of the biggest teams in Asia. So we have to only look for a victory in the last game,' he said. 'We have three or four days to prepare ourselves, so we will be doing our best for the sake of claiming three points from the match.' City manager Guardiola, on the other hand, showered high praise on Echeverri after the Argentine dazzled on his first start for the club since joining from River Plate. "He's an incredible player, a big, big talent in small spaces. I'm happy for him because it was a great goal,' the Spanish coach said.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Man City show gulf in quality as they hit Al Ain for six at Club World Cup
Few expected anything different. Even the lone, purple-clad Al Ain fan standing outside Atlanta's enormous Mercedes-Benz Stadium three hours before kick-off conceded his side would be quickly dismantled by Manchester City and that it was in fact the Garden City club's next match of this expanded Fifa Club World Cup where any joy this month will likely stem. After a humbling 5-0 defeat to Juventus, the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola's swashbuckling City unsurprisingly did not whet many Emirati appetites among the few who had made the trip across the Atlantic. Following that opening round loss to the Italians, Al Ain coach Vladimir Ivic had questioned whether his players watched European football. They certainly did a lot of watching against City: Guardiola's side enjoyed more than 75 per cent possession as they went one better than Juve to serve up a tennis score 6-0 in front of 40,392 fans. Yes, Al Ain created a couple of half chances, and, sure, players such as Nassim Chadli and Erik did their reputations no harm, but City, with all their financial might and global superstars, were never truly troubled. Such was the ease in which the Manchester giants cut through the opposition defence that Guardiola and his players discussed at half-time a need to score seven, enough to give them the outright lead over Juve in Group G. Coming up a goal short was arguably the only blotch on an otherwise perfect night for the City-supporting side of the UAE capital as Guardiola's team booked their place in the last 16. 'It felt at the end that we needed a seventh and we had set that as our target,' said Gundogan, who opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after collecting Bernardo Silva's corner, sending Egyptian defender Ramy Rabia for a cup of karak, and lifting the ball up over goalkeeper Khalid Essa and into an empty net. The embarrassed grin etched on the face of the German midfielder – linked this week to Galatasaray – suggested he was more intent on picking out Erling Haaland at the back post than opening the scoring himself. The contest, billed as an Abu Dhabi Derby, felt, in a football sense at least, more like an exhibition match than anything more meaningful. A Mexican wave on the half-hour confirmed as much. Argentine youngster Claudio Echeverri opened his account for City with a curling free-kick that not only sailed through a porous wall but also past a goalkeeper who watched as if he was unable to stop it rather than being the one man inside the stadium able to pluck it from the air had he moved a step to his left. The gulf in quality was clear, and aside from Al Ain's Moroccan midfielder Nassim Chadli, the Garden City club were, for large periods, chasing shadows like a team of vampires in the midday sun. On the stroke of half-time, Haaland added a third, sending Essa the wrong way from the spot after Rabia manhandled Manuel Akanji inside the area. Three goals from three shots on target. ' Manchester City is obviously a very strong team,' said Chadli. 'If you make one mistake, they hurt you, so we need to learn from this and refocus for the next match. In the counter-attack, you could see we had a lot of space, but then when they have the ball, it makes it very difficult. We are professional footballers though and we like to play this kind of game; before the match I was very excited. The ball moves so fast – it is crazy.' Despite City's desire to score seven – one for each of the Emirates? – they started the second period sluggish, and it took them until the 74th minute to add a fourth. Gundogan again latched on to a Silva pass and slipped the ball over the UAE keeper, before substitute Oscar Bobb added a fifth from distance and the impressive Rayan Cherki bagged his first since joining from Lyon. It was fitting that such a display of footballing excellence took place in Atlanta, the United States' own ambitious metropolis. While the UAE capital is building from the top down, Atlanta is building from the ground up, establishing itself as one of the premier soccer cities in the US, not just in terms of attendance, but also culture, community, and infrastructure. Its MLS franchise Atlanta United regularly plays to huge crowds in this $1.6 billion stadium that will next summer host seven World Cup matches – including a semi-final. They also enjoy local support that has suburban homes proudly flying the club's red-and-black striped flag alongside the omnipresent star-spangled banner. It feels real. Yet this match was about another city starting with A: One UAE city represented by two clubs across three continents. And given the financial differences between the two clubs – Ivic conceded pre-match that one City player costs the same as several of his own – there should be no real shame in Al Ain's struggles. Even if Brazilian midfielder Erik looked despondent as he addressed the media post-match. 'From my first day at this club, I have always dreamt big,' he said. 'Unfortunately, until now at this World Cup, what we have shown is not what we want the supporters to remember. Inshallah, we can be better in the last game.' Erik and Co face Wydad AC on Thursday in Washington DC intent on finishing their campaign on a high. Few in the Middle East have looked of late to Washington for hope and joy, but that is all that Al Ain can now do.
