Manchester City’s vocal and vibrant following at Atlanta’s spectacular Mercedes-Benz Stadium were treated to a show on Sunday night.
City were at their dominant, swaggering best as they swept aside Al Ain FC to book their spot in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™. Ilkay Gundogan scored a fabulous brace and there were also goals for Claudio Echeverri, Erling Haaland, Oscar Bobb and new-boy Rayan Cherki.
This was the performance of a team with world-class quality and sky-high confidence.
“It was a great stadium and a great atmosphere,” said midfielder Nico Gonzalez. “To be honest, it felt like we were playing at home! I think the fans could see how much we enjoyed it.”
Gonzalez, who joined City from FC Porto in February, added: “For me, it’s a dream to be here at City. If you told me one year ago I would be here, I wouldn’t believe it. I’m very proud to have this chance and to be here with the best players in the world.”
Gundogan painted a picture of a harmonious squad savouring the chance to compete at a groundbreaking new competition.
“This tournament has been great,” he said. “There have been a lot of games that have been great to watch. You get to face teams from all around the world that you would normally not face. That’s something very exciting for the fans and spectators, and also for the players.”
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City bolstered their ranks with four new players ahead of the Club World Cup, recruiting Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Cherki and Marcus Bettinelli. Asked how they have added to the dressing-room atmosphere, Gundogan said: “There have been a lot of jokes, a lot of banter as the English would call it! It’s been really good. The new players have contributed to that. I think it’s always been the case for players who have joined (that they have settled in well). Obviously, sometimes you have more shy players who need some more time, but the ones who have been here for several years have the right feeling of how to behave with different players. That makes this group special.”
Ait-Nouri delivered an extremely impressive performance on debut. With City dominant in possession, he provided an important attacking outlet from left-back. The 24-year-old used the ball with precision and invention, as well as performing his defensive duties when called upon.
“For my first game, it was a very nice experience,” said Ait-Nouri. “I really enjoyed playing with this team and we will try to continue like this because it is the best way to victory. The feeling is very good here. I am very excited. This competition is very important for us, and the ambition for this squad is to win every trophy.”
Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, meanwhile, was also keen to pay tribute to the City supporters who backed their team in numbers in Atlanta.
“It is an amazing stadium, really impressive, and you saw how many City fans were here. It felt so good to play on such a big stage. I think people enjoy watching the way we play. It was great to see that, even though we are so far away from home, we have so many people supporting us.”
While City have secured their spot in the Round of 16, whether they will qualify as group winners or runners-up will only be decided when they face Juventus on Thursday. Both teams have maximum points and a +8 goal difference from their opening two games, but the Serie A side have scored one more goal. Therefore, City need to beat Juve to bank top spot – any other result and the Turin giants will qualify as group winners, with Guardiola’s men second.
