Ilkay Gundogan scored twice as Manchester City sealed passage to the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup with a 6-0 demolition of UAE side Al Ain on Sunday.
City joined Juventus on six points through two games and will play the Old Lady on Thursday for the top spot in Group G.
MORE — Pep Guardiola praises Ait-Nouri, Echeverri, Gundogan
Claudio Echeverri scored a wonderful free kick as City built a 3-0 halftime lead through goals by Gundogan and Erling Haaland. New face Rayan Cherki scored after the break, as did Gundogan and Oscar Bobb.
Haaland also recorded an assist, as did new captain Bernardo Silva and Rodri.
City kept nearly 75 percent of the ball producing almost four expected goals and out-attempting Al Ain 21-5.
Manchester City vs Al Ain player ratings
(from fotmob.com)
Manchester City vs Al Ain player ratings (from fotmob.com)
Manchester City vs Al Ain player ratings (from fotmob.com)
What’s next?
A pair of 3pm ET kickoffs on Thursday, as Man City face Juve in Orlando and Al Ain tangle with Wydad AC in Washington, D.C.
How to watch Manchester City vs Al Ain live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 9 pm ET Sunday (June 22)
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta, Georgia
TV Channel/Streaming: Watch live on DAZN, for free
Manchester City vs Al Ain updates as they happened, final score: 6-0
Goal scorers: Ilkay Gundogan 8', 73', Claudio Echeverri 27', Erling Haaland 45+5' (pen), Oscar Bobb 84', Rayan Cherki 89'
One sub at the break
Phil Foden takes the place of Echeverri at halftime.
Erling Haaland penalty goal — Man City 3-0 Al Ain (30th minute)
Manuel Akanji draws a penalty and Haaland converts from the spot.
Claudio Echeverri goal — Man City 2-0 Al Ain (27th minute)
Sensational.
Ilkay Gundogan goal — Man City 1-0 Al Ain (8th minute)
That didn’t take long.
This is what we call a deft chip.
8' GOAL for @ManCity!!
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 23, 2025
🍟 BIG CHIP!
Keeper left reaching for air — Gündoğan scores!!!
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 - July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #MCIAIN pic.twitter.com/rospbc8liZ
Manchester City lineup
Ortega, Akanji, Khusanov, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri, Gonzalez, Gundogan, Silva, Nunes, Echeverri, Haaland
Al Ain lineup
Eisa, Jasic, Niang, Rabia, Zabala, Nader, Park, Traore, Rahimi, Chadli, Al Baloushi
Manchester City vs Al Ain preview
Pep Guardiola’s side got off to a winning start, 2-0 against Moroccan side Wydad AC on Wednesday, now they can secure their place in the round of 16 before playing Juventus for top spot in the group on Thursday. Phil Foden had a goal and an assist in the game, though everything didn’t go perfectly to plan as Rico Lewis was sent off in the 88th minute for a tackle on Samuel Obeng. Guardiola called the referee’s decision to show a straight red card, “unnecessary.”
MORE — How much prize money will each club get at Club World Cup?
“His leg was little bit high, but he was on the grass,” Guardiola said after the game. “Touches the ball with the speed that they go through, your leg has to be a little bit high and the other player down. It was not intentional and it was a red card versus Crystal Palace after the referee came and said it wasn’t a red card. Rico never had intention to hurt anyone. A little bit unnecessary, the red card. The referee is the boss and had other intentions, VAR checked it and we have to accept the decision.”
Manchester City team news, focus
OUT: Mateo Kovacic (foot)
Al Ain team news, focus
Al Ain found themselves 4-0 down to Juventus at halftime and ended up losing their opening game 5-0 as Randal Kolo Muani and Francisco Conceicao each scored twice, along with Kenan Yildiz. 33-year-old Togolese striker Kodjo Laba, who led Al Ain this season with 20 goals in 21 games, had most of his side’s best chances to score but two of his three shots were saved rather well.
Manchester City vs Al Ain prediction
In a sense, the Club World Cup is perfectly timed for Man City, who already had a handful of new players that need to get acclimated before next season, so the intensity (and quality) from them remains incredibly high. That spells bad news for Al Ain, and maybe everyone else in the competition. Manchester City 4-0 Al Ain.
