By Mohamed Islam Bouteraa

Atlanta, GA – If there were any doubts about Manchester City’s hunger for Club World Cup glory, they were emphatically put to rest under the bright lights of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pep Guardiola’s men delivered a masterclass in attacking football, dismantling Al Ain 6-0 in a performance that felt more like a training exercise than a competitive match.

City Hit the Ground Running

From the first whistle, the Premier League champions were in ruthless mood. Just eight minutes in, Ilkay Gündoğan’s attempted cross took a cruel deflection, looping helplessly over Al Ain keeper Khalid Eisa and into the net. The German midfielder shrugged with a wry smile—sometimes, luck favors the bold.But there was nothing fortunate about Claudio Echeverri’s moment of magic. The young Argentine, making just his second start, stepped up to a free-kick in the 27th minute and curled an absolute peach into the top corner. The City bench erupted—Echeverri’s first goal for the club couldn’t have been sweeter.

Haaland Joins the Party

Al Ain’s defense was in disarray, and just before halftime, Manuel Akanji was hauled down in the box. VAR confirmed the penalty, and up stepped Erling Haaland. The big Norwegian, ice in his veins, sent Eisa the wrong way—3-0 at the break, game over.

Second Half? More of the Same.

Al Ain made changes, but City’s dominance never wavered. Gündoğan, enjoying one of his best games in sky blue, added a delicate chip in the 66th minute for his second of the night. Then came the subs: Oscar Bobb cut inside and rifled home a fifth (84’), before Rayan Cherki—another young star—rounded off the scoring in stoppage time with a cool finish.

What This Means

• City are through to the knockouts with a perfect record.
• Juventus up next—a winner-takes-top-spot clash that could decide who avoids a potential Real Madrid showdown in the last 16.
• Al Ain bow out with zero points and 11 goals conceded in two games. Ouch.

Final Thoughts

This wasn’t just a win—it was a statement. Guardiola’s blend of experience (Gündoğan, Haaland) and youth (Echeverri, Bobb, Cherki) was simply too much for Al Ain. The scary part? City didn’t even need to hit top gear.

Next stop: Juventus. 

If this performance was anything to go by, Pep’s men are ready for whatever comes next.