City crush Diamonds to storm into final

Manchester City booked a place in the final of the Club World Cup as the reigning European champions defeated Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 in Jeddah on Tuesday.

The result means City will lock horns with Al Ahly on Friday after the Egyptian side beat their Brazilian counterparts Fluminense 2-0 earlier in the day.

At the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, it was a one-sided affair where the losing side failed to register a single shot on target against City’s nine. However, the English powerhouse were made to wait till the stroke of halftime to break the deadlock, as Diamonds defender Marius Hoibraten registered an own goal.

Following interval, City did not take long to stretch the lead to take the game beyond the reach of the Japanese side. Croat midfielder Mateo Kovacic marked his name on the scoresheet in the 52nd minute before Portuguese playmaker Bernardo Silva struck seven minutes later, putting the game to bed with over half-an-hour left in the game.

Despite the absence of marksman Erling Haaland and forward Jeremy Doku due to injuries, coach Pep Guardiola — who won joint-highest three Club World Cup titles for FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich — benched Julian Alvarez while fit-again Kevin de Bruyne was not included in the squad.

Regardless of whoever win the coveted title on December 22, a new champion will be crowned.

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