Man City cruise into Club World Cup final and eye title sweep under Pep Guardiola

Urawa Red Diamonds 0 Manchester City 3

The Premier League was starting to prove a challenge for Manchester City for the first time in four seasons and yet, by the Red Sea, against fellow champions from all corners of the world, they look in a class of their own.

Pep Guardiola’s team were several leagues above the reigning champions of Asia in this, the semi-final of the Fifa Club World Cup for which the European champions are the red-hot favourites to win. They must now beat an aging Brazilian Fluminense side, including the great Marcelo, now 35, on Friday in Jeddah to win the last title missing from the Guardiola years: champions of the world.

The dominance was such that you have to wonder what the new Club World Cup will look like in 18 months’ time. Such has been the level of City compared to the others, that it seems inevitable the Europeans will dominate the summer version. Fifa will effectively be replaying the Champions League in a standalone tournament. Nevertheless, Guardiola’s players still have to beat the team from Brazil, who won the Copa Libertadores last month.

It is well set up for Guardiola to win his fifth trophy of the year – although he was not happy with Fifa over the state of the pitch and was casting some blame around. “I would love to have it better for both teams,” he said. “In football the conditions for the players are the last thing the big organisations take care of. It doesn’t matter – we will do our best.”

Twenty-five years ago to the day, Joe Royle’s Manchester City lost 2-0 away to York City in the second tier of English football. Now City are a winning machine who draw gasps of admiration from across the world, albeit with a fairly significant legal battle in play. One City fan who was almost certainly not at Bootham Crescent in 1998, but might make a rare appearance in Jeddah on Friday, is the club’s mysterious owner, the Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed.

For a man who has financed the greatest football team on the planet, he seems reluctant to watch in person the fruits of his investment. This game, however, is just across the Arabian peninsula from his home in Abu Dhabi. It is also a chance to show his neighbours in Saudi how it is done when it comes to building an elite football team.

Guardiola has won the Club World Cup twice before with his great Barcelona team. The hard yards for City were winning the Champions League final last season, and it would be fair to say that the likes of Crystal Palace and Aston Villa are a much more rigorous test than the opposition assembled by Fifa. The level of Urawa Red Diamonds was somewhere near the lower end of the Championship and their manager Maciej Skorza pointed out that physically his players, homegrown with a sprinkle of European and African, were not a match for City.

This final conquest, after the Champions League, is something of a formality for Guardiola and his players but one that must be completed. They have another three days in the Gulf sunshine where Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland can continue their injury rehabilitation. Both men drew a big roar from the crowd when their faces appeared on the screens. Neither will feature in Friday’s final, Guardiola said.

“Kevin has started to train yesterday and tomorrow [Wednesday] will train with us,” Guardiola said. “After three months [out] he cannot play a final, but he is getting better. Erling still cannot train.”

The three-goal margin against Urawa Reds, sixth in Japan’s J-League, and winners of the Asian Champions League, did not truly reflect the gulf in quality in this game. City took possession of the ball from the start and barely gave it up after that. The statistics said Urawa had a single attempt on the City goal although it was hard to recall. Chiefly because they scarcely had the ball. In the heat of the Jeddah evening it was punishing for the players chasing.

It will be intriguing to see how Fluminense approach Friday’s final – although one suspects they will follow the Urawa lead and sit in a low block on the edge of their own area and hope for the best. Fluminense have finished seventh in the Brasileiro Serie A this season, well out of the final title race. Guardiola said he was surprised how deep Urawa played although there seemed little option.

They hung for as long as they could but in the end their constant pursuit of City’s passes meant the legs gave way. Fluminense at least have an extra day’s rest. Urawa had done very well to keep their shape – narrow and stubborn – until time added on at the end of the first half when City turned them around swiftly. Before then, Guardiola had changed his formation that started with Phil Foden and Jack Grealish as his furthest advanced players and very wide on either wing.

He switched Bernardo Silva out to the right and he played in Matheus Nunes for a cross that Norwegian defender Marius Hoibraten deflected into his own goal. As Urawa tired, City pulled them apart in the second half. A fine ball from captain Kyle Walker to Mateo Kovacic to finish. Then Bernardo scored when Nunes’s shot was blocked.

“My plan is to sleep and sleep and sleep,” Guardiola said when asked how he will prepare his team. “Tomorrow we have a day off and then we go out for dinner and create a good environment… stay in bed, get a massage, rest good, eat good. This is the most important thing.”

Match details

Urawa Reds (4-5-1): Nishikawa; Sekine, Scholz, Hoibraten, Akimoto; Okubo, Ito, Yasui, Iwao, Koizumi; Kante.
Subs used: Schalk 57 (Okubo), Ogiwara 57 (Ito), Nakajima 64 (Koizumi), Linssen 64 (Kanté), Shibato 78 (Iwao).
Manchester City (4-1-3-2): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake; Rodri; Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Kovacic; Foden, Grealish.
Subs used: Bobb 64 (Bernardo Silva), Álvarez 65 (Foden), Gvardiol 65 (Akanji), Phillips 77 (Rodri), Sergio Gómez 77
(Stones).
Attendance: 40,127.
Referee: Mohammed Al Hoish (Saudi Arabia).

Man City cruise into Club World Cup final, as it happened...

08:10 PM GMT

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08:03 PM GMT

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07:59 PM GMT

WATCH: Silva finds the bottom corner to put City 3-0 up

07:53 PM GMT

Full time: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Job done and a good night’s work by City. They are through to Friday’s Club World Cup final after easing past Urawa.

An own goal from Høibråten on the stroke of half time gave City a deserved lead. Then in the second half goals from Kovacic and Silva sealed victory and a chance at a fifth title in 2023 when they face Brazilian side Fluminense.

07:50 PM GMT

90mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Three minutes added on.

07:47 PM GMT

87mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Approaching midnight in Jeddah but still plenty of people in the crowd seeing the match out. It hasn’t been much of a contest with City far too strong for their opponents.

07:43 PM GMT

83mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Yellow card for Nunes after a foul on Ogiwara. From the resulting free-kick, Ake heads clear impressively.

07:40 PM GMT

80mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Great tackle by Ederson as he slides in to clear the ball from the onrushing Shoya.

07:38 PM GMT

77mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Alvarez denied by a save from Nishikawa. If not for him, City could have run up a cricket score.

More subs by City: Stones and Rodri off, Gomez and Phillips on

Urawa subs: Iwao off, Shibato on

07:33 PM GMT

73mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Three goals ahead but no drop in standards from City. Still pressing and applying pressure on Urawa.

Their desire to win the ball back and dominate is so impressive to watch.

07:28 PM GMT

68mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

We have a Mexican Wave going on in the stands as City pass the ball around. The match has become a non-event.

07:26 PM GMT

63mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3

Sums up Grealish’s night. He gets a loose ball but rather than shoot, he takes too long and the Urawa players nick

More subs:

Urawa - Kante & Koizumi off, Linssen & Nakajima on

City - Foden, Silva & Akanji off, Alvarez, Gvardiol & Bobb on

07:20 PM GMT

59mins: Urawa 0 Man City 3 GOAL

City running riot now. First Nunes’ shot his saved by Nishikawa but from the rebound, Silva collects the ball and his shot beats the keeper via a deflection off Hoibraten.

Expect some subs from Guardiola soon.

07:17 PM GMT

56mins: Urawa 0 Man City 2

Nunes heads wide. Best bit of play from Grealish tonight. He goes down the outside of his man and clips a lovely cross to the back post but Nunes puts his header inexplicably wide.

Two subs by Urawa: Ito & Okubo off, Ogiwara & Schalk on

07:13 PM GMT

52mins: Urawa 0 Man City 2 GOAL

Game over. Walker breaks the Urawa backline with a through ball to Kovacic, who is running from deep. The Croatian breaks clear of the chasing defenders and lifts a shot over Nishikawa.

Urawa won’t be coming back from this.

07:11 PM GMT

50mins: Urawa 0 Man City 1

If Urawa want to get back into this game they will need to show a lot more ambition. Too often the ball has failed to stick with Kante.

07:08 PM GMT

48mins: Urawa 0 Man City 1

The pattern is set again with City in control. The ball keeps making its way wide to Grealish but the England international has been wasteful with his usage.

07:05 PM GMT

Second half: Urawa 0 Man City 1

We are back underway in Jeddah with Urawa kicking us off. Can they fight back?

06:54 PM GMT

Twitter reacts

06:48 PM GMT

45mins: Urawa 0 Man City 1 GOAL

On the stroke of half time, City break the deadlock. Positive play by Nunes, who breaks into the box. He pulls the ball back and Hoibraten puts the ball past his own keeper.

City deserve that goal but Urawa will be disappointed at the manner of how they conceded.

06:41 PM GMT

41mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Plenty of rotation in the City front line. Quick, sharp movement and passing in the final third but still no breakthrough.

Need to see more from the likes of Grealish and Foden.

06:39 PM GMT

38mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Big cheers from the locals when Erling Haaland and then Kevin De Bruyne appear on the screens - and a presidential wave from the latter

06:37 PM GMT

36mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

City getting closer. This time Foden tests Nishikawa, who pushes the ball away for a City corner, which comes to nothing.

06:33 PM GMT

32mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Total City dominance. The Urawa players will have been told about this but you see it in teams facing City for the first time - the experience is utterly demoralising. After all, this team is the Asian champions.

They are used to having the ball, presumably, and they have been completely deprived of it this evening so far.

06:31 PM GMT

30mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Great save Nishikawa. Nunes gets into the box and drills a left footed shot which is pushed over by the Urawa keeper.

06:29 PM GMT

28mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Good defensive shape by Urawa but Foden breaks through after a mazy dribble. The ball then falls to Rodri, who hits a shot which is deflected wide for a corner.

From the resulting corner, Rodri has another effort at goal but the ball is blocked.

City starting to up the pressure...

06:26 PM GMT

24mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Booking for Akanji after hauling down Kaito. Easy decision for the referee

06:21 PM GMT

19mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Nearly from Silva. Lovely chipped ball over the Urawa defence by Grealish to the Portuguese, who has broken in behind. He meets the ball but his shot is easily saved.

06:15 PM GMT

15mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Atmosphere is pretty flat in Jeddah. Whistles from the crown when City are on the ball. Urawa have started in determined fashion, trying to hang on for as long as they can.

Silva with the latest shot on goal for City but his effort goes over the bar.

06:13 PM GMT

12mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

First spell of possession for Urawa as they move the ball around nicely, without hurting City. They eventually lose it and City assume control again.

06:09 PM GMT

8mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

First shot on goal from City comes from Rodri, who shoots from distance but the ball sails wide of the post.

City being very patient in the early stages here with Urawa happy to let them have the ball.

06:03 PM GMT

4mins: Urawa 0 Man City 0

Pattern already set for the match with City in control of the ball. Looks like Silva is currently the most central forward for City with Foden wide on the right.

06:00 PM GMT

Kick off: Urawa Red Diamonds vs Man City

Here we go then. City get the match started with Silva kicking off by passing back to Ederson.

05:58 PM GMT

Here come the teams

The players come out of the tunnel for the match and walk out to a light show.

A lot of empty seats at the King Abdullah Sport City Stadium.

05:54 PM GMT

A place in the final is at stake

And the winner tonight will play Brazilian side Fluminense after they beat Al-Ahly 2-0 in Monday night’s first semi-final in Jeddah.

05:50 PM GMT

'Where stadiums are built is just as important as what they look like for the match-going fan'

The King Abdullah Sport City stadium looks magnificent on television. As with a lot of the Qatar venues, however, it’s a different story for the matchday experience. It is set in the centre of acres of dusty car parks. These venues are built to look spectacular when night falls and they are lit up for the broadcast coverage. Yet there is very little around them.

If Saudi wants the experience for visitors to be different for the 2034 World Cup finals the may be something they consider. Where stadiums are built is just as important as what they look like for the match-going fan - if he/she is still a major consideration.

05:45 PM GMT

'We want to win it'

05:38 PM GMT

'Fifa will never learn'

It is three hours ahead of UK time in Jeddah and the stadium is filling slowly. Unfortunately, as with Qatar 2022, Fifa has made the mistake of filling the void with music played way too loud, and people you’ve never heard of shouting into microphones. They’ll never learn.

Quite a lot of sky blue shirts around the ground already. Manchester City expected a lot of fans from the Gulf region to show up and it seems they have done so. A few familiar banners suggest a small number have made it from Manchester. There are a couple of hundred travelling Urawa Reds fans behind one of the goals and drumming and singing for their lives. Sadly though, they are struggling to be heard behind the Fifa wall of sound.

05:31 PM GMT

Four changes by Guardiola

The Man City boss has rotated his team after the weekend draw with Crystal Palace.

Out goes: Dias, Alvarez, Gvardiol and Lewis. In comes: Stones, Akanji, Kovacic and Nunes.

Haaland is not involved as he continues to recover from a foot problem.

05:25 PM GMT

How City booked their place at the Club World Cup

05:20 PM GMT

Urawa Red Diamond team news

Urawa Red Diamonds Starting XI: Nishikawa, Ito, Hoibraten, Koizumi, Kante, Sekine, Akimoto, Iwao, Okubo, Yasui, Scholz.

Substitutes: Niekawa, Yoshida, Sakai, Iwanami, Linssen, Nakajima, Schalk, Shibato, Ogiwara, Panya, Koroki, Ohata.

05:08 PM GMT

Team news

04:59 PM GMT

FIFA Club World Cup semi-final

Hello and welcome to coverage of Manchester City’s Club World Cup debut as they play Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds for a place in the final and a chance to claim their fifth trophy of 2023.

City earned their place in the tournament after winning the Champions League in June while Urawa won the AFC Champions League for the third time.

Pep Guardiola’s side arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the back of one win in their last six Premier League games, leaving them five points behind leaders Arsenal but Guardiola is not concerned about performances.

He said: “We prefer better results but, except the Aston Villa game, our performances were excellent. We have to improve how we finish our games, be more aware of what we have to do in certain moments but hopefully we can maintain our level of passion and desire to play at a high level with and without the ball against Urawa.”

City are strong favourites for the competition but manager Guardiola insists it is far from a foregone conclusion.

“It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s an honour,” said Guardiola. “It’s the first time Man City are here. That shows how difficult it is. We won’t take it for granted. We take it as a privilege. Of course we want to win it. It is a trophy we don’t have. We want to close a little circle, that we have won all the trophies we could do. This is the last one.

“I don’t know if we’ll have another chance. Maybe it is a once in a lifetime. It is difficult to be here. I think the players know it and we are going to try to perform well.”

City are likely to be without striker Erling Haaland, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury. Despite travelling, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are not expected to play as they near returns from injury.

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