Juventus 2-5 Manchester City! Guardiola led the team to win, and the first game of the Club World Cup group stage started perfectly

In the fierce showdown with Juventus, Manchester City successfully advanced to the knockout stage of the Club World Cup with a wonderful 5-2 victory. The victory is not only Rodri's first starter since September last year, but also marks the absolute dominance of Guardiola's team in the group stage. Manchester City qualified as the first in Group G and became the only team in this tournament to maintain a complete victory. While both teams have won two wins in the group stage, Manchester City has shown unparalleled strength and teamwork in this fateful game, one of the most perfect performances in the past 12 months. After the start of the game, Manchester City quickly took the initiative in the game, and Rodri performed easily in the starting lineup. The tacit cooperation between Jeremy Doku and Rayan Ait Nuri broke the deadlock for Manchester City, and the subsequent game made Juventus feel strong pressure. Despite Ederson's mistake in front of the goal and being taken to equalize by Turn Kuppmenas, City quickly recovered its advantage, with Pierre Kalulu's own goal giving the team a lead. Entering the second half, Ellin Haaland came on as a substitute. He scored his 300th goal of his career in a short time and assisted Phil Foden, and Manchester City's lead expanded to 4-1. Immediately afterwards, Savigno secured the victory for the team with a wonderful goal. Although Dusan Vlahovic scored a comfort goal for Juventus, there was no suspense in the whole game.

With this overwhelming victory, Manchester City successfully advanced to the final stage of the game, paving the way for the promotion. In particular, Manchester City and Chelsea are not in the same group, which also means that there will be no situation where two Premier League teams will face off in the finals. Guardiola's side will face second-place teams in Group H in the round of 16 on Monday, with potential opponents including Real Madrid, Salzburg Red Bull or Alschalal.

In another game, Al Ain reversed Casablanca Vida 2-1 while trailing by one goal, winning the first victory of the event. This game also became the last game of this Club World Cup. After the game, Guardiola praised the team's performance, saying that the victory was Manchester City's best performance in a long time. "We haven't played in this state for a long time. The players have shown great investment and execution when they have the ball or are not." He said that the team had discussed the improvement points before the game, and today's performance proves that they can stand out when facing top opponents, which makes people look forward to the next showdown. When talking about whether the team has returned to its peak state, Guardiola said: "We are not returning to our peak state in the past, it is just a victory in the game. However, the most important thing is that the players realize once again that only continuous efforts can they become a top team." He also specifically mentioned that after Rodri appeared, Manchester City's performance was more stable, and seemed to have controlled the rhythm of the game.

It is worth mentioning that Rodri made his first appearance as a starter in this game, breaking the gap in his starting lineup since last September. He was replaced at the 65th minute of the game, winning a standing ovation from the audience. Although he has not started for nine months, his performance is still perfect. His midfield partnership with Tijani Rendez and his cooperation with Haaland have laid a solid foundation for Manchester City's victory. After the game, Bernardo Silva also expressed high praise for the team's performance in an interview with DAZN: "Faced with this top opponent, we showed our best form. This game is one of our best demonstrations of this tournament. Although this is only an important victory, we are very happy to be able to advance smoothly." He added: "Our goal is to win this tournament, and this victory brings us closer to this goal. Next, we will be fully prepared to meet more challenging opponents."

The outstanding performance of Manchester City this time undoubtedly makes fans look forward to the championship, and the team will continue to attack the championship in the next knockout stage.