Manchester City won 2-0 over Wydad Casablanca at the Lincoln Financial Field on Wednesday to start their FIFA Club World Cup campaign. The former Premier League winners started strong with Phil Foden scoring in the second minute.
After Wydad custodian Mehdi Benabid parried Savinho’s cross, Foden scored a first-time shot to give City an early lead. Wydad rallied after losing the opening goal, and attacker Cassius Mailula nearly equalised with a 15th-minute lob from midfield.
The South African forward failed to reach a low cross set by Mohamed Moufid and Thembinkosi Lorch to stun the City. In the 42nd minute, Foden sent a precise corner to Jeremy Doku, who scored City’s second goal.
Despite both teams’ efforts to score, the scorecard remained unbroken until the final whistle, giving the Premier League side a winning start. Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola rested Erling Haaland, Rodri, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol, and John Stones to maintain their workload.
Rico Lewis’ 88th-minute red card hurt the City. Manchester City’s second encounter against UAE Pro League’s Al Ain is on June 22 in Atlanta.
