Foden and Doku power second-string Man City past Wydad
PHILADELPHIA, June 18 (Reuters) - Manchester City began their Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Morocco's Wydad Casablanca in their Group G opener on Wednesday, courtesy of first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku.
Manager Pep Guardiola opted to rest several key players, including Erling Haaland, Rodri, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol and John Stones in what was a sweltering midday kickoff at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
Despite fielding a second-string side, City needed less than two minutes to break the deadlock.
Phil Foden pounced after Savinho's cross was parried by Wydad goalkeeper Mehdi Benabid, with the England midfielder striking a first-time effort into the net to hand City an early lead.
City doubled their advantage three minutes before halftime when Foden delivered a pinpoint corner, and Jeremy Doku caught the Wydad defence napping to volley home at the far post.
City finished with 10 men after Rico Lewis was given a straight red card for a nasty studs-up sliding tackle on Samuel Obeng in the 88th minute.
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The Herald Scotland
18 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Pep Guardiola says referee's decision to dismiss Rico Lewis was ‘unnecessary'
The England international won the ball when he slid into a challenge with Samuel Obeng, but caught his opponent in the face in his follow through. City manager Guardiola was angered by the Brazilian referee Ramon Abatti's decision and later spoke to the official. Guardiola said: 'He thought the leg was a little bit high, but he was on the grass. He touched the ball. 'For the speed they go to touch the ball – for the Newton's theory your leg has to be a little bit higher and the other player was down. Rico had no intention. 'Rico is the person who never has intention to hurt anyone for his style of play. Mancehster City defender Rico Lewis, left, was dismissed late on against Wydad Casablanca (Derik Hamilton/AP) 'It was unnecessary, honestly, the red card, but the referee had a different opinion and he's the boss. They checked VAR, so we accept it.' The Lewis incident took the gloss off an otherwise professional performance in the Group G opener, won with goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku at the beginning and end of the first half. Guardiola said: 'It's so hot. It's not easy, for all the teams. We had good moments with many new players. 'The first game in the group stage is always really, really important. We started really well. After we had some problems, especially when we lost some simple balls but I saw many good things. Thank you for your support in Philadelphia! 🙌🩵 Next stop: Atlanta ✈️ — Manchester City (@ManCity) June 18, 2025 'It was the first game, now we prepare for the next one. Everybody will have to improve because it's so demanding, and it's going to happen.' Guardiola handed debuts to new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki but it was Foden who proved their inspiration, pouncing on a rebound for the opener on two minutes and then setting up Doku's second. Foden endured an underwhelming 2024-25 campaign, but was recently stood down from England duty to refresh for the tournament. Guardiola said: 'He was really good. It was a good delivery for the second and the first, always he is there. 'We are pretty pleased and he was playing a position where he has to defend too as a holding midfielder.' City will now return to their training base in Miami before travelling to Atlanta for their next game against Al Ain of Abu Dhabi on Sunday (Monday morning UK time).
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Panthers dent, crack Stanley Cup mere hours after winning
June 18 - It didn't take long for the Florida Panthers to make their first impression on the Stanley Cup after winning it for a second time in as many years. Less than 12 hours after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final to win the coveted trophy again, the Panthers appeared to crack the bowl of Lord Stanley's Cup and dent the base of the trophy. The crack, as well as a slight inward dent, on the bowl reportedly occurred during Florida's on-ice celebration on Tuesday after the Panthers routed Edmonton 5-1 in Sunrise, Fla. As for the damage to the base, while no cause was cited, it was spotted at a local watering hole on Wednesday. Reports indicate that the keepers of the Cup will repair the 37-pound trophy in time for Sunday's celebration parade. Damage to the Stanley Cup is far from new for the 132-year-old piece of hardware. Players have had a long history of accidentally dropping the trophy during events. Other instances include a member of the 1962 Toronto Maple Leafs dropping the NHL's championship trophy into a bonfire. Another example came in 2008 when a newborn daughter of a Detroit Red Wings player defecated in the bowl while sitting in it (that player reportedly drank from it later that day.) --Field Level Media
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Trent Alexander-Arnold opens up on Real Madrid debut and reveals what Xabi Alonso told the team at half-time as Spanish giants are held by Al-Hilal at Club World Cup
Trent Alexander-Arnold insisted that he knows he 'made the right decision' to join Real Madrid after making his debut for Xabi Alonso 's side at the Club World Cup. Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw by Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in Miami, with the former Liverpool man playing 65 minutes before he was replaced by Lucas Vasquez. 'It's the first time that I've moved clubs so I didn't know what to expect. I had no expectations coming into this,' Trent told Mail Sport. 'It's a big change and it's different but I'm loving every single minute of it and in my mind and my heart, I know that I made the right decision for me.' The game started at 3pm local time in conditions that were far from ideal for football, with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees celsius and high levels of humidity. 'Yeah, I found it very challenging (in that heat). It's very different from England,' Trent admitted. 'But it was a very proud moment for me. I'm very happy to have made my debut. It's something that most, if not all players, dream of in their life. I'm incredibly proud of the achievement but of course there's some disappointment (with the result) with the mentality that comes as a Madrid player. You want and expect to win every single game but of course, new coach, some new players and new ideas - there's some positives to take from it, especially in the second half and the foundation has been built to go and win the next game now,' added the 26-year-old. The Spanish side took the lead through Gonzalo Garcia before Ruben Neves levelled from the spot just before half-time, in a half where Simone Inzaghi's side dominated. Madrid improved after the break but Federico Valverde had a 90th minute penalty saved by Bono as Al Hilal held on for a famous result. 'He (Alonso) didn't say anything specifically to me at half-time. He said we needed to control the game more and dominate the ball, especially in this heat. In these games, you have to dominate the ball otherwise you're chasing shadows. The heat really kicks in so it's important for us to keep hold of the ball as much as possible,' said Trent. Madrid next take on Mexican side Pachuca in Charlotte on Sunday.
