Manchester City bagged a 2-0 win against Moroccan side Wydad AC in their first match of the Club World Cup on June 18 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Phil Foden opened the scoring for Man City just two minutes into the clash, and then provided an assist for their second goal, netted by Jeremy Doku in the 42nd minute.
Ahead of the ongoing competition, Man City have made four new additions to their squad, including Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, and Marcus Bettinelli.
Cherki and Reijnders made their debut for Man City in their opening match of the Club World Cup. While the new duo did not register any goal contribution in the clash, head coach Pep Guardiola has shared his thoughts on their efforts on the pitch.
What did Man City boss Pep Guardiola say?
Reijnders, who arrived at the Etihad from AC Milan on a five-year deal reportedly worth £46.5 million, was on the pitch against Wydad for the full 90 minutes and was involved in one key pass.
Speaking after the clash, Guardiola hailed (comments via NDTV Sports) Reijnders as a ‘really good player,’ and said,
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“He is a really, really good player. You feel it, you smell it. The pace, in the final third, with the ball, when he will get a little bit more rhythm, he will be top.”
Cherki, meanwhile, joined Man City on a five-year contract from his boyhood club, Lyon, and many suggested that he was signed as a replacement for club legend Kevin De Bruyne.
Cherki was on the pitch for 60 minutes in his debut match and was then subbed for Erling Haaland to come off the bench.
Guardiola addressed Cherki’s performance and praised the Frenchman’s ‘incredible skills’ while mentioning that De Bruyne is ‘difficult to replace.’
“Of course Kevin is difficult to replace, we know that, for the quality that he has. There is no doubt about that but at the same time the club decided on Rayan because he has incredible skills close to the box, incredible vision, many things. This was just the first game, in really tough conditions, and I am really pleased he is here,” said the Catalan manager.
Guardiola & Co. are now set to play against Al Ain in their second clash of the Club World Cup on June 22, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia.
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