Soccer-Only six? City boss Guardiola wanted another goal against Al-Ain
Jun 22, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola looks on prior to a group stage match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup against Al Ain FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
ATLANTA, Georgia (Reuters) -Manager Pep Guardiola was a little disappointed that Manchester City were unable to get a seventh goal in their rout of Al-Ain on Sunday despite the English club securing passage to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup.
German Ilkay Gundogan scored two goals as City comfortably dispatched the Emiratis 6-0 at Mercedes-Benz stadium to draw level with Juventus on points and goal difference at the top of Group G.
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
City play Juventus in their final opening-round match on Thursday to decide who tops the group and who finishes second.
Juventus go into the clash with a slight edge as goals scored is the second tiebreaker after goal difference for teams level on points. Juve have scored nine goals to City's eight.
In the round of 16, the top team in Group G will play the second-placed team in Group H, currently Red Bull Salzburg, while the runners-up will face the top team, currently 15-times European champions Real Madrid.
KEY QUOTES
Guardiola: "We pushed and pushed to score another goal to try to finish first, but we missed by one goal. But yeah, we know what we need to do against the Italian team to finish as number one."
Guardiola on substitute Rodri's gradual return from an ACL injury: "Step-by-step. He cannot play more than 30 minutes. He still struggles a bit in the duels, still needs to be a little bit stronger, but it's normal.
"It's important he played much, much better than the previous game. We miss him a lot. Any team would miss the best player in the world."
Guardiola on goalscorer Claudio Echeverri: "It's a pity for the twisted (ankle), which is a little bit sore. It was a problem, that's why he could not continue after halftime. He's an incredible player, a big, big talent in small spaces. I'm happy for him, because it was a great goal."
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
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