Manchester City is reaching for its fifth title in the most successful year in the club’s history. Coach Pep Guardiola’s team beat Urawa 3-0 (1-0) on Tuesday (December 19, 2023) in a one-sided semifinal of the Club World Cup, even without striker Erling Haaland Red Diamonds from Japan.
In the final on Friday (7 p.m.) the Champions League winners will face Fluminense FC from Brazil. The winner of the Copa Libertadores beat Al-Ahly Cairo (2-0) on Monday. City will also have to do without Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku. The trio cannot be used in the fight for the title because they were not part of the squad in the semi-finals.
Own goal as a can opener
In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, City, which was superior in all respects, needed an own goal from Norwegian Marius Höibraaten (45th + 1 minute) to take the lead. 67 percent ball possession and 13-0 shots had not yielded any results up to that point. Mateo Kovacic (52nd) and Bernardo Silva (59th) made the result befitting with their goals in the second half.
The Club World Cup will take place for the last time in the old format with seven teams. After a year’s break, the successor tournament will be held from 2025 with 32 participating teams, including German record champions Bayern Munich. The first host is the USA.
