A CLASS APART
Manchester City dismantle Urawa Reds to reach Club World Cup final
Jeddah - Manchester City showcased their class at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium on Tuesday, brushing aside Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 to secure their place in the Club World Cup final. Facing a resolute Urawa defence in the opening half, the European champions found the breakthrough late with an own goal by Marius Hoibraten just before the break.
City’s second half was a masterclass in dominance. Mateo Kovacic, in his first goal since joining from Chelsea, doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart, and Bernardo Silva’s deflected shot shortly after put the game beyond doubt. Pep Guardiola’s men, who had endured a recent slump in form, looked rejuvenated and cruised to the win.
Manchester City now stand one game away from lifting the Club World Cup trophy for the first time. Having conquered Urawa, they face a clash with Brazilian side Fluminense, who defeated Egypt’s Al-ahly 2-0 on Monday. As heavy favourites for Friday’s final, City aim to etch their name alongside Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea as English winners of the tournament.
The victory marks a significant turnaround for City, who had won only three of their previous eight games across all competitions. The Club World Cup semi-final win seems to have reignited their spark, leaving them primed to conquer Fluminense and claim global glory.
They will start as heavy favourites in Friday’s final against Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense who on Monday beat Egypt’s Al Ahly 2-0.
“The players know how important it is for the club,” Guardiola, who won the title twice with Barcelona and once with Bayern Munich, said. “To be in this final, you have to do incredible things like win the Champions League. This may be the only time we play this in our lifetime.
City have suffered some domestic wobbles of late and have slipped off the pace in the Premier League in their quest for a fourth successive title.
But even with Erling Haaland still missing and Guardiola shuffling his pack after Saturday’s 22 draw with Crystal Palace, they had far too much for the J1 League side.
The Diamonds’ gameplan was obvious as they packed their defence and midfield to create a red wall in front of their goal and it worked well as City struggled to find openings.
Despite barely getting out of their own half they almost made it to halftime on level terms but were undone as Matheus Nunes finally found some space and his low cross was intercepted by Hoibraten who steered the ball into his own goal.
The game opened up in the second half with Diamonds showing a little more adventure but it made it easy for City.
Kovacic, twice a winner of the competition with Real Madrid and Chelsea, was sent clear and he surged away before smashing a shot high past Shusaku Nishikawa.