Manchester City sent a strong statement at the FIFA Club World Cup on Thursday with a commanding 5-2 victory over Juventus, while Real Madrid, led by a brilliant Vinicius Junior, sealed a comfortable 3-0 win over Salzburg to secure their place in the last 16.
City, who topped Group G with a perfect record, dazzled a 54,320-strong crowd at the Camping World Stadium as they tore apart Juventus to become the only side to win all three group matches. Jeremy Doku opened the scoring early, assisted by new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri, before a defensive lapse allowed Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners to equalise.
City quickly regained control when Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu turned Matheus Nunes’ cross into his own net. The Premier League side shifted gears after halftime, with Erling Haaland tapping in the third and assisting Phil Foden for the fourth. Brazilian winger Savinho capped the display with a powerful long-range fifth. Dusan Vlahovic netted a late consolation for Juve.
“We played well and I’m happy with the victory,” said Doku. Coach Pep Guardiola also welcomed the return of key midfielder Rodri after a long injury layoff.
Juventus coach Igor Tudor admitted City were superior: “Manchester City have a lot better quality players than us, that’s the truth.”
City will now face Al Hilal in the knockout phase after the Saudi club defeated Mexico’s Pachuca 2-0 thanks to goals from Salem Al-Dawsari and Brazilian Marcos Leonardo.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Vinicius Junior shone as Real Madrid topped Group H with a clinical 3-0 win over Salzburg. The Brazilian scored from a sublime Jude Bellingham assist before producing a cheeky backheel to set up Federico Valverde just before halftime. Gonzalo Garcia added a third late on as Madrid remained unbeaten.
“I am pleased with the boys, and now the interesting phase begins,” said coach Xabi Alonso. Real will face Juventus in the round of 16 in Miami on Tuesday.
Madrid were once again without star forward Kylian Mbappe, who is recovering from illness. “We thought Kylian would make it and it wasn’t to be,” Alonso said. “We have four days, I remain optimistic but cautious.”
Elsewhere, in a consolation match between already eliminated sides, Al Ain edged Wydad Casablanca 2-1 in Washington, DC. After falling behind to Cassius Mailula’s early strike, goals from Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba and Alejandro Romero gave the UAE side their first points of the tournament.
Written By Rodney Mbua
