Sky Blues’ Six-Goal Surge Sinks Stunned Al Ain

Manchester City made a statement in Group G play at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, beating Al Ain FC 6-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday night. The 10-time English champions controlled the tempo from start to finish and now have a possible chance at winning the group when they face Juventus on Thursday in Orlando.

(photo: Sofia Cupertino for the SDH Network)

The match opened with Manchester City on the front foot, and it didn’t take long for their pressure to pay off. In the 8th minute, a Cityzens' corner initially looked to be cleared, but Ilkay Gündogan was left alone and found space at the top of the box and chipped the ball to back post to make it 1-0.

Al Ain struggled to maintain possession under City’s harsh press, ending up with only 26% of the ball in the match. In turn, they began to earn yellows early on to try and stop Man City's transition moments.

Moments later, City doubled their lead off a free kick. After a push in the back led to a foul just outside the box, Claudio Echeverri stepped up and curled a left-footed effort over the wall and into the far side of the net in the 27th minute. It was a moment of class from the 19-year-old Argentine, and it made it 2-0 for Man City.

As halftime approached, things went from bad to worse for Al Ain. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, a foul inside the box during another City corner led to a penalty and a yellow card for Ramy Rabia. Erling Haaland stepped up and confidently buried the spot kick into the bottom right corner, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and giving City a 3-0 cushion at the break.

The second half continued in a similar fashion—with City controlling possession and Al Ain practically chasing shadows. The Sky Blues made 102 completed passes within 10 minutes of the second half while Al Ain only made 23.

Al Ain did have a rare look in the 70th minute—a half-chance that sailed over the bar—but City put the result beyond doubt just minutes later. In the 73rd, Bernardo Silva danced through midfield before slipping in Gündogan, who chipped the goalkeeper once again to complete his brace and make it 4-0.

The momentum did not stop for Man City. In the 84th, a slick build saw Rayan Cherki dribble out of the corner and leave a defender on the ground, passed it back to Rodri who slipped a pass through to Oscar Bobb who tapped into the net to make it 5‑0. And in the 89th, a sweeping City counter ended with Haaland turning provider, laying the ball off for Cherki to finish for his first competitive goal for the club.

Al Ain, along with Wydad, are eliminated from the knockout rounds while City and Juventus will battle it out for the top spot in the group later this week.