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Manchester City logo
Club World Cup | Final
Dec 22, 2023 at 6pm UK
King Abdul Aziz Stadium
Fluminense

Man City
4 - 0
Fluminense

Alvarez (1', 88'), Nino (27' og.), Foden (72')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Marcelo (57'), Alexsander (68'), Kennedy (84')

Manchester City ease past Fluminense to clinch Club World Cup glory

Man City ease past Fluminense to clinch Club World Cup glory
© Reuters
Manchester City win major trophy number 14 under Pep Guardiola and earn their inaugural Club World Cup crown with a 4-0 thrashing of Fluminense in Riyadh.

Manchester City won major trophy number 14 under Pep Guardiola and earned their inaugural Club World Cup crown with a 4-0 thrashing of Fluminense at King Abdullah Sports City.

Adding to their coveted Champions League accolade and haul of domestic trophies, Guardiola's men reigned supreme over the globe thanks to a Julian Alvarez brace, Nino's own goal and a Phil Foden effort in a demolition job of the South American champions.

Making a handful of changes to the side that put Urawa Red Diamonds to the sword in the semi-finals, one of Guardiola's three newly-introduced players needed only 40 seconds to draw first blood in Jeddah.

Nathan Ake let fly with a dangerous curler from 25 yards away, which was tipped onto the post by Fabio and fell into the path of Alvarez, who produced a sublime piece of improvisation to chest the ball into the open goal as he was falling to the ground.

Fluminense's appeals for offside fell on deaf ears as Alvarez scored the quickest Club World Cup final goal to date, but the Brazilian side were totally unfazed, opting for plenty of risky passes out from the back and making a few inroads into the final third.

One such move in the 16th minute saw German Cano slipped through and skip past Ederson before being caught by the Brazilian's trailing arm, leading referee Szymon Marciniak to point to the spot, but the offside flag came to City's rescue.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola pictured on December 22, 2023© Reuters

Guardiola's men took full advantage of that reprieve in the 27th minute, as Rodri fizzed a crisp ball into the box where Foden was waiting, and the Englishman's attempted pass across the six-yard box looped into the side of the net via the outstretched leg of Nino.

The treble winners' two-goal lead never came under much threat towards the end of the half, as even though Ederson was forced to palm a powerful Jhon Arias header away in the 40th minute, another offside offence quickly brought Fluminense's attack to a halt.

Jack Grealish forced Fabio into another strong stop down low in the 42nd minute before the welcome sound of the half-time whistle arrived for Fluminense, who were then indebted to their goalkeeper for producing a fine double save from Foden's effort and Bernardo Silva's follow-up header two minutes after the restart.

Fernando Diniz's side were showing fleeting signs of life in the final third - particularly down the right-hand side - but the Citizens' defence remained steadfast as a frustrated Fluminense began to commit more and more unnecessary fouls.

One such challenge from Alexsander left Rodri in agony on the turf for a couple of minutes, but the Spaniard was determined to carry on, and he was able to temporarily shake off his affliction to stay on the pitch for one more Citizens' goal.

Manchester City's Rodri walks of the pitch to receive medical attention after sustaining an injury on December 22, 2023© Reuters

Straight from the restart after Rodri was given the green light to continue, City worked the ball out to Alvarez on the left-hand side, and Foden arrived on the stretch in the six-yard box to convert the Argentine's low cross in the 72nd minute.

However, immediately after Man City put the final to bed, Rodri dropped to the ground again and was ultimately forced to call it a night, sparking fears about his availability for a pivotal festive run-in.

Fluminense did draw Ederson into one noteworthy stop in the 79th minute, as the City number one tipped John Kennedy's strike over the top following a scintillating solo run from the striker, but the Copa Libertadores champions were carved open once again nine moments later.

Attacking down the right flank this time, substitute Matheus Nunes cut back for Alvarez just inside the box, and the World Cup winner shifted the ball onto his right foot with a slick feint before picking out the bottom corner with aplomb.

City's celebrations were briefly interrupted by a skirmish between Kyle Walker and Felipe Melo, forcing both sets of players to separate the enraged pair, but Guardiola's side were soon able to revel in an emphatic triumph before they turn their attention back to the Premier League, where Everton await next Wednesday.

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