Manchester City begin Club World Cup campaign with 2-0 win
What's the story
Manchester City began their Club World Cup campaign on a high note, defeating Wydad Casablanca 2-0 at Lincoln Financial Field.
Phil Foden scored the opening goal just under two minutes into the match.
Jeremy Doku scored just before half-time from a corner kick.
Despite some second-half drama, including Rico Lewis's late red card for a foul on Samuel Obeng, City held onto their lead to secure the win.
Tactical decisions
City's aggressive strategy leaves them vulnerable at times in defense
Pep Guardiola opted for a more attacking lineup, giving debuts to new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.
Despite being the only defensively-minded player among the front six, Reijnders impressed with his performance.
However, City's aggressive strategy left them vulnerable at times in defense.
Thembinkosi Lorch posed a threat, and Wydad came close to finding an equalizer in the first half, but a lapse from a set-piece let City in.
Game changes
Dip in action in 2nd half
The second half saw a dip in action, especially after Doku's departure. However, Guardiola took the opportunity to give Rodri some minutes as he continues his recovery from a long-term injury.
Erling Haaland also came on but couldn't add to the goals.
The match was witnessed by an impressive crowd of 37,446 at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field stadium.
Player insights
Foden praises Wydad and emphasizes importance of the win
After the match, Foden acknowledged the difficulty of playing in the heat and praised Wydad for their counter-attacking game.
He stressed on the importance of this win for all players, including Rodri who is returning from injury.
The City star also emphasized that it was crucial for everyone to regain their sharpness in such an important competition as Club World Cup.
Information
Foden runs the show for Man City
Foden scored in the 2nd minute in addition to setting up Doku's goal in the 42nd minute. Making his 316th appearance for City, Foden has raced to 98 goals. In the 2024-25 season, Foden owns 11 goals and 6 assists across 46 games in all competitions.
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Here are the match stats
City had 15 attempts with six shots on target. Wydad had two shots on target from 12 attempts. Guardiola's men owned 68% ball possession and a pass accuracy of 91%. City also owned 9 corners.