Manchester City were crowned world champions on Friday night as they beat Fluminense 4-0 in the final of the Club World Cup.
Pep Guardiola's side dominating proceedings and comfortably beat the South American champions in Saudi Arabia, with Julian Alvarez netting two, Phil Foden scoring while Nino added an inadvertent own-goal.
It was a remarkable start at King Abdullah Sports City, with City taking the lead after just 40 seconds. Nathan Ake’s curling shot from distance smashed off the post and came out to Alvarez, who managed to awkwardly chest the ball into the back of the net while falling over.
But it was Fluminense who actually started the game brighter and at one stage had amassed 64 percent possession as their fluid passing caused City a few issues. But other than a shot from Keno which flew over, the Brazilian side didn’t manage to test City. They even saw a 16th-minute penalty chalked off for offside, when German Cano was fouled by Ederson in the box.
It proved significant as City soon doubled their lead. Rodri slipped the ball into Phil Foden, who motored forward and saw his cross deflect into the goal off an unfortunate Nino.
From then on, City dominated and Jack Grealish could have made it 3-0 by half-time, but his strike was kept out by Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio, while at the other end Ederson’s sprawling save denied Jhon Arias’ header from a corner.
The game was stretched in the second half with City capitalising on the gaps in the opposition midfield. Foden and Bernardo Silva could have both netted within the first minute after the restart, with the latter then seeing a shot palmed wide by Fabio.
Foden’s runs from deep were proving difficult for Fluminese to deal with and the boyhood blue netted the third as he slid in at the back post and poked the ball in. Little happened beyond that, with the outcome wrapped up, although John Kennedy did go close as his strike tested Ederson from deep.
A deserved fourth came in the 88th minute as Alvarez fired a sublime shot beyond Fabio, with Fluminense exhausted by the end.
It proved to be a record-breaking night for City, who earned the highest victory in a Club World Cup final, and also collected a fifth trophy of 2023. Here's how rated the players, on the night City officially became the world's greatest...
1. Ederson- 8
Made excellent saves to deny Arias and Kennedy, and claimed several important crosses.
2. Kyle Walker- 6
Played some nice cross-field passes and dealt well with the threats down the Fluminense left.
3. Ruben Dias- 6
Used the ball well and, particularly in the second half, was solid in defence.
4. John Stones- 6 (off 74)
Pushed into midfield and helped City maintain control.