Man City Crush Juventus to Secure Top Spot at Club World Cup
Manchester City showcased their dominance in the Club World Cup with a commanding 5-2 victory over Juventus on Thursday night at the Camping World Stadium. The win ensured City finished top of Group G, maintaining their unbeaten record in the tournament.
In front of an enthusiastic crowd of 54,000, City became the only team to win all three of their group matches, demonstrating their intent to lift the trophy. “We played well and I’m happy with the victory,” said City winger Jeremy Doku, who opened the scoring. “We’re playing to win the tournament, but we take it game by game and are curious to see who we play next.”
Doku’s goal came after a clever setup from new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri. However, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Juventus to equalize when City goalkeeper Ederson’s misplaced pass was intercepted by Teun Koopmeiners.
City quickly regained control, with Pierre Kalulu inadvertently scoring an own goal from Matheus Nunes’ cross to restore their lead. The Premier League side, eager to bounce back from a trophyless season, intensified their efforts in the second half after introducing Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker proved pivotal, scoring City’s third before assisting Phil Foden for the fourth goal. Savinho then added a stunning fifth with a long-range strike. Dusan Vlahovic managed to pull one back for Juventus late in the game, but it did little to dampen City’s impressive performance.
Juventus coach Igor Tudor acknowledged City’s superiority, stating, “Manchester City have a lot better quality of players than us, and that needs to be acknowledged. The stars didn’t align for us to play better tonight.”
Al Ain Ends Tournament on a High Note
In the other Group G match, Al Ain secured a 2-1 victory over Wydad Casablanca, despite both teams being eliminated from the tournament. Wydad’s Moroccan striker Cassius Mailula opened the scoring early, but Al Ain equalized just before halftime through Togo international Kodjo Fo-Doh Laba’s penalty.
Paraguayan Alejandro Romero then curled in a goal from the edge of the box to seal the win for Al Ain. “I’m so happy for scoring and helping my teammates. It’s been a good experience, a difficult group, but competing until the end is good for Al Ain,” Romero said.
As the Club World Cup continues, Manchester City has firmly established themselves as contenders, while Al Ain leaves with a hard-fought victory to end their campaign on a positive note.
