Man City cruise past Urawa Red Diamonds in Club World Cup semi-final

0
136
Manchester City restricted Urawa Red Diamonds to just two shots while having 25 themselves
Advertisement

Manchester City secured a dominant 3-0 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup semi-final, setting up a final showdown against Brazil’s Fluminense on Friday.

Pep Guardiola’s side became the fourth English club to reach the final, joining Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea.

Urawa Red Diamonds put up a valiant defensive effort in the first half, but a mistake by defender Marius Hoibraten led to City’s opening goal on the stroke of halftime.

Mateo Kovacic doubled City’s lead shortly after the break, capitalising on a mistake by the Urawa defence to score.

Bernardo Silva added City’s third goal before the hour mark, converting a low shot into the bottom right corner.

Fluminense, who beat Al Ahly 2-0 in the first semi-final, will now face City in the final. This marks the 13th meeting between European and South American champions in the showpiece match since 2005.

With their dominant performance in the semi-final, City will be confident in their chances of lifting the trophy and becoming the first English club to win the Club World Cup since Chelsea in 2012.