Football

Man City make light work of Wydad AC in Club World Cup opener

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Manchester City made a confident start to their 2025 FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over Wydad AC in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, 18 June.

Pep Guardiola’s side wasted no time asserting their dominance, taking the lead inside two minutes at Lincoln Financial Field.

Jérémy Doku’s lung-busting run down the left set up Phil Foden, whose initial effort was saved—only for the England star to slot home the rebound.

Wydad AC, lining up with an unfamiliar five-man defence, struggled to contain City’s relentless attack.

Goalkeeper Mehdi Benabid will rue his weak parry straight to Foden for the opener, leaving the Moroccan side chasing the game early.

Doku doubles lead before half-time

City doubled their lead before half-time when Doku—completely unmarked at the back post—tapped in Foden’s corner.

Wydad defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil was caught ball-watching as the Belgian winger punished the lapse in concentration.

Despite dominating possession (68%) and restricting Wydad to just two shots on target, the Premier League champions couldn’t add to their tally in the second half.

Late red card fails to spark Wydad revival

The Moroccan side’s hopes of a late comeback were briefly raised when Rico Lewis saw red in the 88th minute for a reckless follow-through on Samuel Obeng.

But Wydad failed to capitalise on the numerical advantage, even with six minutes of added time.

What’s next?

Manchester City now travel to Atlanta to face UAE’s Al Ain on Monday, 23 June, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while Wydad AC return to Philadelphia to take on Juventus on Sunday, 22 June.

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