Manchester City dispatched Juventus 5-2 in their final Club World Cup group stage match to finish top of in Group G.
Pride, prize money and a perfect record – that’s what was on the line. Juventus only needed a draw to top the group, while Man City had to win to leapfrog their Italian opponents.
At the Club World Cup, group stage results carry serious financial weight. Clubs earn $1 million (£725,000) for a draw and $2 million (£1.4m) for a win, but a loss yields nothing.
Heading into kick-off, these two undefeated European powerhouses were deadlocked. They were level on six points with an identical goal difference, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown in the marquee matchup of this year’s tournament so far.
And both teams looked keen to put on a show in the early stages, exchanging blows within the opening half hour.
Man City drew first blood through Jeremy Doku, who scored his second goal in as many games in the competition. Rayan Ait-Nouri slid his team-mate in behind with a pinpoint pass, with Doku creating separation on his right foot with one touch, before finding the far corner with a curling shot.
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But Juventus’ equaliser came while Man City fans were still catching their breaths after celebrating. Just two minutes after the opener, Teun Koopmeiners capitalised on a calamitous error from Ederson, who, attempting to play out from the back, passed the ball straight to the Dutchman.
Koopmeiners needed only a couple of touches to punish the mistake and level the score in the 11th minute.
Orlando seemed to be the capital of calamity on the night, with mistakes flowing freely at the Camping World Stadium – and Man City’s second goal came courtesy of another blunder.
Matheus Nunes drilled a low cross from the right flank, and Pierre Kalulu inadvertently applied the finishing touch — steering it into his own net with a poacher’s instinct gone wrong, handing Pep Guardiola’s side a 2-1 lead.
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It was a dominant first half from Man City, who held 77% possession and allowed just two shots, compared to the 15 they fired at Michele Di Gregorio.
Doku was the talisman in the opening 45 minutes, completing six of his seven take-on attempts and winning eight duels. Juventus right wing-back Alberto Costa was probably the most thankful person on the pitch for the additional water breaks during the match.
Behind Doku, Ait-Nouri was equally a handful for Juventus at wing-back, completing 100% of his passes in the first half (28/28). He’d end the game perfect.
To make matters worse for the Bianconeri, Guardiola introduced Erling Haaland at half-time, replacing Omar Marmoush. The Norwegian goal machine made his mark within minutes.
Haaland tapped home a cross from Nunes to make it 3-1 on 52 minutes, scoring his 300th career goal in his 370th appearance. At 24 years and 325 days old, Haaland surpassed Kylian Mbappe as the second-youngest player to reach 300 goals, behind the elusive Pele (21 years and 300 days old).
Phil Foden added to the goalfest in the 69th minute. Haaland slid a ball into Savinho’s path, who took it past the goalkeeper, only for his team-mate to pinch the finish away from him.
But the Brazilian would not mind, as it took him just seven minutes to have another crack at goal. And this time, no one could deny him etching his name on the scoresheet.
After the ball was scrambled clear from Juventus’ box following a corner, Savinho put his laces through it from 25 yards out, his strike rattling the bar before bouncing in. Di Gregorio was left frozen in awe of what will certainly be a goal of the tournament contender.
Man City racked up at Expected Goals total of 3.06 compared to Juventus’ 0.66, and fired off 24 shots compared to just five from their opponents. They looked every bit the dominant force that fans missed last season.
Having previously thrashed minnows Al-Ain and Wydad Casablanca 2-0 and 6-0 respectively, this emphatic win was unquestionably their biggest of the tournament. Man City’s reward is a last 16 tie against Al Hilal.