Man City Dominate Juventus to Send Powerful Club World Cup Message with Flawless Record Intact
Manchester City delivered a commanding 5–2 victory against Juventus as Group G action in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup wrapped up on Thursday.
Prior to kickoff, both City and Juventus held identical six-point tallies, though the Citizens required a victory to guarantee their advancement. A stalemate would have benefited the Italian club.
Jérémy Doku needed just nine minutes to break the deadlock, though an error from Ederson swiftly enabled Teun Koopmeiners to level the score. However, City then benefited from their own stroke of fortune when Pierre Kalulu deflected the ball into his own goal under minimal pressure.
At that point, only two attempts had tested the goalkeepers—yet remarkably three goals had been scored—and it appeared that a sudden heavy downpour was needed to energize both the spectators and the match itself. Following the actual rainfall, the figurative floodgates finally burst open after halftime, with Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Savinho extending the advantage.
Dušan Vlahović managed to reduce the deficit for Juventus late on, though it served merely as a consolation strike.
City's Perfect Record
Among all group winners in the Club World Cup, only Manchester City has advanced to the knockout rounds maintaining an unblemished winning streak.
All other teams that have progressed to the next phase—including Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich—have surrendered at least two points during their initial three matches. City stands alone.
Juventus had similarly triumphed against Al Ain and Wydad AC in their opening two fixtures and, given the tiebreaking regulations, Pep Guardiola's squad entered Matchday 3 understanding that solely a victory would suffice to surpass the Italian powerhouse. A draw would have only secured second position, likely setting up a Round of 16 clash with Real Madrid, who are preparing for their final group match.
It was simple to question City's comfortable victories in their first two outings, netting six goals against Al Ain. However, scoring five against Juventus represented a genuine declaration from this revamped squad. Not only will they rank among the Club World Cup contenders as the elimination rounds approach, it establishes crucial momentum for the upcoming Premier League and Champions League campaigns.
Aït-Nouri Fun to Watch
City concluded the previous season lacking adequate defensive coverage, with academy product and attacking midfielder Nico O'Reilly finishing the campaign deployed at left-back.
The reconstruction has been forward-thinking—beginning with decisive action as early as January—and Rayan Aït-Nouri became the initial new acquisition completed during the pre-Club World Cup transfer period.
The Algeria international was absent against Wydad AC, but featured for the full 90 minutes against Al Ain to mark his City bow. His display against Juventus felt like a glimpse of what supporters can anticipate in the coming months, especially what seemed to be an already developing partnership with Jérémy Doku.
His arrival could also eventually allow Joško Gvardiol to be deployed in central positions more frequently, which may well represent the 23-year-old's future role.
Rodri's First Start
Rodri returned from an ACL setback in the second-to-last Premier League fixture against Bournemouth last month. However, that appearance lasted merely seven minutes. He featured for approximately thirty minutes in each of the opening two Club World Cup encounters, against Wydad AC and Al Ain—providing an assist in the latter match, though supporters were genuinely eager to witness his first starting appearance.
The 2024 Ballon d'Or recipient took his position as City's midfield anchor, operating behind the more attacking Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders. After 65 minutes, displaying his characteristic control and authority, Guardiola continued managing the comeback by substituting him.
However, those present in the venue recognized what they had observed and many rose to their feet to acknowledge Rodri as he departed the field.
300 for Haaland
Erling Haaland wasn't included in the starting lineup, though the enthusiastic welcome the City forward received when he emerged from the substitutes' bench to commence the second half indicated that many spectators had attended primarily hoping to watch him perform.
Haaland wasted little time finding the net and establishing a comfortable lead for City, creating an important two-goal cushion that eliminated any possibility of a Juventus comeback.
The finish lacked precision, deflecting off his legs after Matheus Nunes delivered the ball across the goalmouth—the opportunity was set up by Tijjani Reijnders' earlier perfectly weighted pass—yet it was perhaps characteristic of someone who has forged a reputation as an opportunistic penalty area predator.
Eight years have passed since Haaland scored his debut goal for Molde in Norway's top division. Now, in his 354th appearance, he has reached 300 career goals across senior club and international competitions. He celebrates his 25th birthday next month.