Result and reaction from Club World Cup as City cruise into final

Manchester City outclassed Urawa Red Diamonds in a 3-0 victory in the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium to set up a Club World Cup final showdown against Brazilian side Fluminense.

European champions City were frustrated by a well-organised Japanese side during the opening half but took the lead with an own goal by Marius Hoibraten in stoppage time.

Mateo Kovacic made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute and Bernardo Silva‘s deflected shot a few minutes later meant City could play the rest of the game in cruise control.

Pep Guardiola‘s City, who had won only three of their previous eight games in all competitions, are looking to become the fourth English club to win the title after Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea.

They will start as heavy favourites in Friday’s final against Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense who on Monday beat Egypt’s Al-Ahly 2-0.

Relive the action below

Manchester City vs Urawa Red Diamonds live

• Manchester City beat Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 in the Club World Cup

• City entered the competition at the semi-final stage and need just one more win to lift the trophy

• FULL-TIME! Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

• 59’ – GOAL! Silva’s effort deflects beyond the goalkeeper (MCI 3-0 URD)

• 52’ – GOAL! Kovacic finishes well after perfect ball slid through (MCI 2-0 URD)

• 45+1’ – GOAL! Hoibraten turns Nunes’s cross into his own net (MCI 1-0 URD)

• 32’ – SAVE! Nunes’s driven shot topped over the bar (MCI 0-0 URD)

FULL-TIME! Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:52 , Luke Baker

And that’s it! Man City cruise pretty comfortably into the Club World Cup final with a 3-0 win over Urawa Red Diamonds.

Fluminese await in the final on Friday and will likely pose a bigger test.

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:50 , Luke Baker

90 mins: More nice play from Bobb as he links with Nunes and the ball is flicked into the path of Alvarez but it’s nicked away for a corner.

That corner comes out to Kovacic but his shot is well over. Three minutes of added time to be played.

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:47 , Luke Baker

88 mins: Kalvin Phillips sees his name up in lights and has a pop from 25 yards. It’s always curling wide though.

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:44 , Luke Baker

84 mins: Nunes gets himself a yellow card for a trip in the middle of the field. The Urawa free-kick comes to nothing though.

At the other end, Alvarez bursts through on the left but Nishikawa is off his line to dive and deflect the ball away from the Argentine.

SAVE! Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:41 , Luke Baker

81 mins: Well, more tackle than save really. Ederson quick off his line after the ball bounces off a couple of players and comes into the path of Shoya – the City keeper lunging with his foot to flick the ball away form the striker after a slightly heavy touch. Any centre-back would have been proud of that tackle!

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:39 , Luke Baker

80 mins: Another Urawa Reds change as Kai Shibato comes on for Iwao. This game petering out a bit now but you’d think Man City have another goal in them.

SAVE! Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:37 , Luke Baker

76 mins: Nishikawa stays big to stop Alvarez adding a fourth. Once again it comes through Bobb who dummies left and goes right, getting to the byline once more. His cutback finds Alvarez 10 yards out who hits it first time past a sliding defender but Nishikawa gets his body behind it

Then more City subs as the lesser-spotted Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez come on for Stones and Rodri.

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:34 , Luke Baker

74 mins: Nice touch by the always-lively Oscar Bobb but can’t quite get his shot on target as it drifts wide. In the very next attack he weaves his way to the byline but his cutback is cleared. Absolute talent.

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:30 , Luke Baker

70 mins: City calm things back down after that near moment of madness.

CHANCE! Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:28 , Luke Baker

66 mins: Almost a horror show from Man City! They’re far too lackadaisical in defence as Walker and Ake get themselves into trouble and Linsson – only just on as a sub nips in. Ederson quickly off his line to close down the space on the left and Linsson tries to square for a teammate to tap in but CIty scramble it out for a corner.

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:25 , Luke Baker

65 mins: Change ahoy! Triple sub for City as Josko Gvardiol, Oscar Bobb and Julian Alvarez come on for Akanji, Foden and Silva. Bryan Linsson and Shoya Nakajima on for Urawa as Koizumi and Kante head off

Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds

19:24 , Luke Baker

62 mins: Jack Grealish misses a golden opportunity to make it four! Gets into the box but takes too many touches as he tries to go round Nishikawa when he comes out to the penalty spot but the Japanese goalkeeper dives and manages to get a touch to take it away from the England international. Grealish needed to shoot earlier.

GOAL! Man City 3-0 Urawa Reds (Silva 59’) ⚽

19:19 , Luke Baker

Now it’s 3-0 and things looking bad for Urawa. Nunes cuts in from the left and gets a shot on target. Decent save by Nishikawa who pushes the ball out to the edge of the box where Bernardo Silva picks it up and fires at goal.

An unfortunate deflection off Hoibraten, who scored the own goal earlier, and that helps take it beyond Nishikawa into the left corner. Silva almost looks too embarrassed to celebrate.

Man City 2-0 Urawa Reds

19:17 , Luke Baker

57 mins: A couple of changes for the Red Diamonds as Ito and Okubo come off with Ogiwara and Schalk on in their places. Schalk was the man who scored the winner from the bench in the 1-0 quarter-final win over Club Leon. Another goal here would be some scalp.

CHANCE! Man City 2-0 Urawa Reds

19:16 , Luke Baker

56 mins: Nunes has to score there! Great play by Grealish to get down the outside, stands up a lovely cross to Nunes six yards out who head the ball down but somehow wide of the post! Bad miss.

Man City 2-0 Urawa Reds

19:13 , Luke Baker

54 mins: It really was a nice goal by City. HArd to see a way back for Urawa now.

GOAL! Man City 2-0 Urawa Reds (Kovacic 52’) ⚽

19:11 , Luke Baker

Game, set and match City. And a lovely finish by Mateo Kovacic.

Superb run by the central midfielder who splits the centre-backs and the ball slid through to him is perfect. He takes it in his stride, good second touch and lifts it over the goalkeeper as he rushes out. A first Man City goal for Kovacic and it was a classy one.

Man City 1-0 Urawa Reds

19:09 , Luke Baker

50 mins: City would love a second goal for a variety of reasons but one is that it would allow Guardiola to make a few changes, should he so desire. Patient build-up so far but no breakthrough in this second half.

Man City 1-0 Urawa Reds

19:06 , Luke Baker

47 mins: Slight heart-in-mouth moment as Kyle Walker loses the ball in defence and Kante looks interested in the box but Ederson quickly off his line to tidy things up. Walker looks slightly sheepish.

KICK-OFF! Man City 1-0 Urawa Reds

19:05 , Luke Baker

Back underway in Saudi Arabia. Hard to see Urawa getting back into this but you never know.

WATCH: Hoibraten own goal puts City ahead

19:00 , Luke Baker

Here’s how Man City went ahead as Marius Hoibraten turned Matheus Nunes’s cross into his own net. Harsh on the doughty Japanese side

HALF-TIME! Man City 1-0 Urawa Reds

18:56 , Luke Baker

HALF-TIME! Man City 1-0 Urawa Reds

18:50 , Luke Baker

Right on the stroke of half-time, just as they appeared to have reached the break level, the reds fall behind. Relief for City and you’d fancy them to kick on from here.

GOAL! Man City 1-0 Urawa Reds (Hoibraten own goal 45+1’) ⚽

18:46 , Luke Baker

Oh that’s unfortunate! Urawa don’t deserve that.

Nunes gets down the right and puts a low cross into the box that Hoibraten slides to try and defend but only sticks into his own net, past Nishikawa. Foden was lurking behind, ready to pounce, and the Norwegian felt he had to do something. Really unlucky.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:45 , Luke Baker

45 mins: Man City may need to be aggressive in their set-up in the second half. It feels like Ake and Walker could definitely be further forward pushing Grealish and Nunes inside to give them more options.

Credit to Urawa Red Diamonds so far, they’ve been very disciplined in their low block and you’d still back City to break them down.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:43 , Luke Baker

42 mins: Good defending by Hoibraten who stays with the bursting run of Kovacic to flick the ball out for a corner after some quickfire City passing on the edge of the box. Urawa have generally defended well so far and the sanctity of half-time is within sight now

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:40 , Luke Baker

38 mins: If it’s not clear by the way, Urawa have offered basically nothing going forward. A penalty shootout is their dream scenario.

Another relatively comfortable save for Nishikawa who falls forward to gather the ball. Kevin de Bruyne then appears on the big screen and gets huge cheers that reverberate around the stadium. Legend.

He could play in Friday’s final (should City get there), otherwise he’s expected to be back from injury for the festive Premier League fixtures. Would be huge for City.

SAVE! Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:37 , Luke Baker

36 mins: Another City corner as they up the ante. Short-corner routine, worked to Foden on the edge of the box who fizzes a left-footed effort to the bottom corner but Nishikawa again down well to his right to parry it wide with both hands. Solid save.

SAVE! Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:34 , Luke Baker

32 mins: Decent stop by Nishikawa, who has to be alert and stay big to tip Nunes’s shot over the bar as the Portuguese cuts in from the right channel and wraps his foot around a powerful shot. That’s the closest City have come. The corner is wasted though as Grealish can’t clear the first man.

Foden and Silva switching who is playing the false 9 position at the moment.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:30 , Luke Baker

29 mins: Nice dribble by Foden as he skips past three men before the ball is nicked away on the edge of the box. It comes out to Rodri though and he rifles a shot from 25 yards. A deflection sends it not far wide.

Grealish’s corner only punched away by Nishikawa but Rodri’s sidefooted shot is then bravely blocked. Feels like City are getting closer perhaps? Maybe wishful thinking. It’s hardly been an epic so far.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:27 , Luke Baker

27 mins: City starting to probe down the right a bit more through Nunes and Foden, when the latter drifts to that side. Still nothing you would describe as a clear-cut chance for Guardiola’s men and in fact only one shot on target, which Nishikawa saved with ease.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:25 , Luke Baker

25 mins: Yasui runs forward with the ball for Urawa and Akanji grabs his midriff and pulls him down. First booking of the night and it goes to the City centre-back.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:23 , Luke Baker

23 mins: First corner of the day for City and Nunes puts it in but Sekine wins the header to clear. Patient build-up as City then wait for another opportunity but Urawa back into their low-block formation and the three banks of red show no signs of cracking.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:20 , Luke Baker

19 mins: A ball into the box from out on the left touchline by Grealish and Silva is at full stretch to get a touch with his left foot but it’s not substantial and only flicks the ball into the hands of Nishikawa. Silva claps the cross, it was only inches away from being perfect.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:18 , Luke Baker

18 mins: Grealish again drives into the box from the left but Sekine does well to nick the ball away with a dangling foot. City then go more aerial as they loft the ball into the box but again Urawa defend it well enough

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:16 , Luke Baker

15 mins: Nice switch over to Grealish and he lays inside to Silva, whose first-time shot from the edge of the area is curled over the bar. Decent attempt.

Most of City’s attack coming through Grealish at the moment and he’s providing the width.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:14 , Luke Baker

13 mins: A slightly hairy moment as Ederson almost spills the ball in his own box but manages to scramble it away. City mostly still probing for a breakthrough.

Grealish does some stepovers down the left and finds a nice reverse pass to Kovacic but the Reds defend the width of their penalty area and block the ball in.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:09 , Luke Baker

9 mins: A first shot for City as Rodri takes aim from 35 yards. It’s always curling wide but Nishikawa dives to cover his post just to be sure.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:07 , Luke Baker

7 mins: Akanji tries a ball over the top looking for Kovacic but it’s a shade too long and runs through to Nishikawa. Typical possession-based football so far from City.

Good link-up between Grelaish and Kovacic down the left but the ball gets away from the Englishman and City reset

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:04 , Luke Baker

4 mins: Bernardo Silva seems to be City’s false 9 today. He’ll need support from Foden and Nunes in particular. At the moment Urawa are keeping City pinned back with quite an aggressive press. City happy to be patient though.

Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:03 , Luke Baker

2 mins: It will be interesting to see how attacking Irawa are willing to be – they press pretty high early on. Man City hold possession for the first 70 seconds or so before Foden has it pinched away. Okubo whips a ball into the box but dealt with comfortably. Decent start by the underdogs though.

KICK-OFF! Man City 0-0 Urawa Reds

18:00 , Luke Baker

Underway in Saudi Arabia. Uefa Champions League winners Man City taking on Asian Champions League victors Urawa Red Diamonds in the Club World Cup semi-finals.

Urawa are, fittingly, wearing red and City in their white kits with maroon trim. The stadium is erm… not exactly full…

Let’s get it on!

Man City vs Urawa Reds teams

17:58 , Luke Baker

Only a couple of minutes until kick-off now. Here’s how the sides will line up.

Man City XI: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Akanji, Ake, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Nunes, Bernardo, Grealish, Foden

Urawa Reds XI: Nishikawa, Sekine, Scholz, Hoibraten, Akimoto, Ito, Iwao, Okubo, Yasui, Koizumi, Kante

Man City vs Urawa Reds

17:55 , Luke Baker

Not long until kick-off in Saudi Arabia now.

Man City’s not-so-secret weapon can provide vital boost to trophy hopes

17:49 , Luke Baker

Not at their best, not in their usual scintillating, relentless form, not quite playing with the belief and aura of inevitability that scoring the first game’s goal means the win is all but theirs. Manchester City might be aiming now to be crowned the planet’s finest at the Club World Cup, but Pep Guardiola will know all the same that to make it four Premier League titles in a row, they’ll have to be much-improved in consistency terms across the second half of the campaign.

And yet, there’s a single huge reason to feel that’s likely to be the case: the return of Kevin de Bruyne.

Karl Matchett reflects on City’s not so secret weapon:

Man City’s not-so-secret weapon can provide vital boost to trophy hopes

Pep Guardiola calls for change amid increasing fixture burden on players

17:43 , Luke Baker

Pep Guardiola has called for change as the fixture burden on players continues to increase.

The Manchester City manager was speaking in light of FIFA’s decision to expand the Club World Cup to a 32-team tournament from 2025.

Guardiola insists he is not against the new event in principle – and City are already guaranteed a place – but he feels something has to give somewhere to ease the workload on players.

The Spaniard told reporters at a press conference: “I am not against the new competitions. I am against the lack of time to recover from year to year.

“This is what I am complaining (about) all the time. For me it doesn’t matter to play every three days, six days, seven days. It is OK. But it is really tough to finish the season and then in three weeks restart again and go to Asia, to be financially stable, or the States. That is really, really tough, for ourselves and especially for the players. For myself, things should change. This is my point.”

Pep Guardiola calls for change amid increasing fixture burden on players

Pep Guardiola reveals why the Club World Cup is so important to Man City

17:36 , Luke Baker

Champions League holders Manchester City are taking nothing for granted as they seek to complete their trophy cabinet by winning the Club World Cup, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of his side’s semi-final meeting with Urawa Red Diamonds.

City, who won their first Champions League title this year, are yet to win the Club World Cup – a trophy Guardiola won twice with Barcelona and once with Bayern Munich.

“It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s the first time Man City is here. We don’t take it for granted, it’s a privilege, an honour to be here,” Guardiola told reporters.

“We know how hard it is to win this competition and you have to have done something special in the past. It is my fourth time I have played this competition and the previous times, the semi-final was really tough, really tricky every time.

“We want to win it. Once we are here, it is a trophy we do not have. We want to close the little circle and win all the trophies we could do. This is the last one.”

Pep Guardiola reveals why the Club World Cup is so important to Man City

Fluminense beat Al-Ahly to reach Club World Cup final

17:32 , Luke Baker

We now know who Man City will play if they come through tonight’s semi-final.

Jhon Arias and John Kennedy scored in the second half to give Brazilian side Fluminense a hard-fought 2-0 win over Egypt’s Al-Ahly in their Club World Cup semi-final at King Abdullah Sports City.

The Copa Libertadores champions will face the winners of Manchester City’s semi-final against Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds in Friday’s final in Jeddah.

It was a compelling encounter, with an aggressive Fluminense dominating possession, but often being exposed by Al-Ahly’s counter attacks.

Colombia winger Arias was a constant menace, running up and down the right channel and hitting the post twice in the first half. However, Africa’s champions Al-Ahly wasted several opportunities, using the speed of Kahraba and Percy Tau to launch quick counters.

Fluminense finally managed to break the deadlock thanks to former Real Madrid fullback Marcelo, who nutmegged a defender, hitting the ball through his legs, to get into the box before being fouled from behind.

Arias slotted the penalty just inside the right post and out of the reach of goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy in the 71st minute.

Al-Ahly had a chance to level one minute later, but Tau missed a sitter, heading into the goalkeeper’s hands from point-blank range. As Al-Ahly tried to push for the equaliser, they were left exposed and Fluminense took advantage with substitute Kennedy adding a second in the 89th minute with a strike to finish off a counter-attack.

Reuters

Man City faced with frustrating form irony just as they look to win crown of world’s best team

17:19 , Luke Baker

Manchester City have often been described as the best team in the world. The penultimate step to officially claiming that title falls on the 25th anniversary of a historic low. On 19 December 1998, City lost 2-1 to York: their fifth consecutive league game without a win left them 12th in the old Division 2, rendering them the 56th-best team in England. On 19 December 2023, they face Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-final of the Club World Cup. Win then and only Fluminense stand in their way in Friday’s final.

“Years ago we could not imagine to be there and we are there,” said Pep Guardiola. “I’m very pleased and excited to go there to try and win it.” It has been a remarkable rise, albeit one facilitated by about £2bn of investment from Sheikh Mansour and one clouded by 115 Premier League charges. But now, a quarter of a century after City were 15 points behind Walsall, City have one of the greatest managers in history and a treble only previously achieved by Manchester United in a season when their neighbours were a third-tier club.

Now they arrive in Saudi Arabia as favourites to retain both the Premier League and the Champions League. And yet, for a club on the brink of adding a fifth trophy of 2023 and an achievement that would symbolise a time of dominance, at something of a low.

Read Richard Jolly’s full take on Man City’s Club World Cup bid:

Man City faced with form irony as they look to win crown of world’s best team

Manchester City team news

17:05 , Luke Baker

Here’s the City line-up for this evening. No Haaland, De Bruyne or Doku as they continue to battle injury but a strong starting XI named by Pep.

Urawa Red Diamonds vs Manchester City predictions: Club World Cup tips, odds and free bets

16:52 , Luke Baker

Manchester City will kick off their 2023 Club World Cup campaign with a clash against Urawa Red Diamonds.

Cityzens boss Pep Guardiola has won the competition three times before as a manager, although not with City, and can win it for a fourth time in Saudi Arabia.

Urawa Red Diamonds knocked out Concacaf Champions League winners Leon in the last round to make the final four where they will come up against City.

Football betting sites have priced Guardiola’s team as strong favourites, but there will be an element of the unknown to this fixture. Can the Japanese side pull off a shock?

Here are three betting tips ahead of the clash:

Urawa Red Diamonds vs Manchester City predictions: Club World Cup tips, odds and free bets

Manchester City early team news

16:40 , Luke Baker

City are waiting on the fitness of striker Erling Haaland, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury – including Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace.

Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku have travelled with the squad as they near returns from injury but are unlikely to play. Guardiola is expected to make several changes from Saturday’s team and ahead of a potential final on Friday.

Predicted Manchester City line-up

Ederson; Walker, Stones, Akanji, Lewis; Rodri, Kovacic; Bobb, Silva, Grealish; Alvarez

When is Manchester City vs Urawa Reds and how can I watch it?

16:32 , Luke Baker

When is Manchester City vs Urawa Reds?

The match will kick off at 6pm GMT on Tuesday 19 December at the King Abdullah Sports City, Saudi Arabia.

How can I watch it?

The Club World Cup is being shown on TNT Sports in the UK and Manchester City’s semi-final will be live on TNT Sports 2. TNT Sports subscribers can also stream the action live on Discovery+.

If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Is Man City v Urawa Reds on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch Club World Cup

16:23 , Luke Baker

Manchester City head to the Club World Cup looking to add another trophy to their collection under Pep Guardiola as the treble winners face Japanese side and Asian champions Urawa Reds in Saudi Arabia tonight.

City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season to qualify for the Club World Cup as European champions for the first time, and Guardiola’s side are strong favourites to win the competition.

Brazilian side and South American champions Fluminense await in Friday’s final after beating Al Ahly but Guardiola has insisted that City face a “difficult” task as they look to put their recent Premier League struggles behind them.

The champions have won just one of their last six games and Guardiola said: “It’s the first time Man City are here. That shows how difficult it is. We won’t take it for granted. We take it as a privilege. Of course we want to win it. It is a trophy we don’t have. We want to close a little circle, that we have won all the trophies we could do. This is the last one. I don’t know if we’ll have another chance. Maybe it is a once in a lifetime. It is difficult to be here.”

Here’s everything you need to know:

Is Man City v Urawa Reds on TV? Channel, kick-off time and how to watch

Manchester City vs Urawa Red Diamonds

16:15 , Luke Baker

Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of Manchester City vs Urawa Red Diamonds this evening.

City are on a midweek jaunt to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup and victory in this semi-final would see them face Fluminese in Friday’s final.

Stick with us for full live coverage.