FOOTBALL – MANCHESTER City secured top spot in Group G of the Club World Cup with a 5-2 thrashing of Juventus yesterday, exposing the Serie A side’s defensive frailties in emphatic fashion.
With both teams already through to the knockout stage, City underlined their status as title favourites by becoming the only team to finish the group phase with three wins, showing flashes of their brilliant selves.
Pep Guardiola’s side finished three points clear of Juventus, who will face the winners of Group H in the last 16.
City took the lead early through Jeremy Doku, who finished a precise move set up by a superb through pass from new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Juventus responded quickly, capitalising on a mistake from City goalkeeper Ederson, whose poor clearance allowed Teun Koopmeiners to pounce, and the Dutch midfielder made no mistake, driving in the equaliser.
City regained the lead in the 26th minute when Matheus Nunes delivered a low cross into the box from the right. Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu, under little pressure, deflected the ball into his own net past a helpless Michele Di Gregorio.
The Premier League side added another with a third goal from Erling Haaland. After a quick break, Nunes again provided the assist, threading a pass into Haaland’s path for the Norwegian forward to bundle the ball over the line from close range.
Phil Foden put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute, poking the ball home after Savinho tapped Haaland’s low cross into his path.
Savinho rubbed salt in Juve’s wounds when the ball fell to him at the edge of the box and he crashed a thunderous effort in off the crossbar.
Dusan Vlahovic reduced the arrears six minutes from time but it was way too little, and much too late for Juve.
Meanwhile, Kodjo Laba scored just before halftime, Kaku broke through just after and Al Ain rallied to a 2-1 victory over Wydad AC in both teams’ final matches of the tournament.
Kaku’s goal during a match when video review played a pivotal role stood as the winner for Al Ain (1-2-0, 3 points), which escaped unscathed despite Laba’s stunning 76th-minute miss from very close range. The UAE side finished third in Group G despite being previously routed 5-0 by Juventus and 6-0 by Manchester City.
Cassius Mailula scored early for Wydad, who gave more respectable performances against those European powers but were a clear second- best here.
Despite taking the early lead and playing before a stadium primarily of their supporters, the Moroccans struggled to maintain their pace in a match played in the mid-afternoon sun and temperatures hovering around 34 Celsius.
Both Al Ain’s goals involved video reviews by American referee Drew Fischer that went in their favour.
On the first, Fischer reversed his initial decision to wave play on following a tangle of legs between Wydad’s Ayoub Boucheta and Al Ain’s Adis Jasic, ruling instead that Boucheta had tripped the attacker in the area.
Laba stepped up and converted for the Middle Eastern club’s first goal in the tournament, in the first minute of first-half stoppage time.
Then after Kaku put the Emerati side in front in the 50th minute, Fischer was again summoned to the pitch-side monitor.
This time, he upheld his ruling that Matias Palacios had not fouled Jamal Harkass in the aftermath of his sliding shot, even though the impact of their collision forced Harkass off for the match’s remainder.
Wydad went in front in the fourth minute. Mohamed Moufid played a good combination down the right, then dragged a low cross back into the front edge of the penalty area.
Mailula took a touch moment to control it, then fired a half-volley into the top right corner to beat the diving Rui Patricio.
Earlier, Inter Milan scored twice in the last 18 minutes to beat River Plate 2-0 and progress to the knockout stage as Group E winners and send the Argentines home.
Teenager Francesco Esposito broke the deadlock soon after River had been reduced to 10 men by the dismissal of Lucas Martinez Quarta with Alessandro Bastoni adding the second in stoppage time.
The 20-times Italian champions will face Brazilian club Fluminense in the last 16 in Charlotte on Monday with Monterrey, who beat Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0, going through in second place a point ahead of River.
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