Manchester City team won the Club World Cup for the first time to end 2023 with five trophies after a 4-0 win over Fluminense in Jeddah on Friday. The teams victory extended European clubs’ domination of the competition since 2012.
City led after just 40 seconds to make it a match mostly free of tension. Julian Alvarez followed up fastest to meet a rebound off a post from Nathan Ake’s shot.
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An own goal in the 27th by Fluminense captain Nino decided the game long before Phil Foden’s goal in the 72nd, guiding an Alvarez pass into an open net. Alvarez struck again in the 88th.
It gave City a first Club World Cup title and Europe a 16th in 17 editions of FIFA’s competition for continental champions
Fabio turned Jack Grealish’s fiercely struck effort behind before half-time and twice denied Foden early in the second half.City were able to coast through the second period to end a glorious year on a high, but victory could come at a cost.
Rodri was forced off with an injury 20 minutes from time. City have lost all three Premier League games this season when the influential Spanish midfielder has been absent and they travel to in-form Everton on December 27.
However, that did not take the shine off a marquee 12 months that marks the high-point in a trophy-laden 15 years since City’s fortunes were transformed by a takeover from Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Alvarez was the creator for City’s third as Foden slid in to meet his driven cross.
After clinching the treble of the club’s first ever Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season, City also lifted the UEFA Super Cup for the first time in August.
Pep Guardiola also made history as the first coach to lift the Club World Cup on four occasions and with three different clubs after previously winning the competition twice at Barcelona and once in charge of Bayern Munich.
“To win the treble was truly special, but to win two more trophies and now hold these five major titles shows the unique mentality of this team,” said Guardiola.
“As a manager it is what I am most proud of: that we are always there. No matter how much we win, no matter what trophies we lift, we are there again to fight for the next one.”
City’s poor Premier League form before flying out to Saudi Arabia had raised Fluminense hopes that Guardiola’s men could be vulnerable.But the growing chasm between Europe’s elite clubs and the rest of the world thanks to huge financial imbalances in the global game was instead exposed.
The European clubs have won 22 consecutive games at the Club World Cup as city laboured for 45 minutes to break down Japan’s Urawa Reds in the semi-final before cruising to a 3-0 win.This time, they needed less than 45 seconds.Alvarez scored the fastest goal ever in a Club World Cup final as he chested into an unguarded net after Nathan Ake’s shot came back off the post.
At just 23, the Argentine added to his remarkable haul of silverware that includes the World Cup and Copa America at international level, the Copa Libertadores during his time at River Plate, plus Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and UEFA Super Cup medals during just over a year at City.