While the leading European championships are on a summer break, the attention of the entire football world turned to the new format of the club world championship being held in the USA. The tournament features 32 elite clubs from different regions of the world. Among them is Manchester City, with Uzbekistan national team defender Abdukodir Khusanov on the roster.
Under the leadership of Josep Guardiola, the “Citizens” defeated Morocco’s Wydad 2-0 in the first round, and in the second round, they faced the representative of the UAE — Al Ain. Notably, this time Khusanov was included in the starting lineup. This was his first start for the team after several months.
The match was entirely under City’s control. Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring in the 8th minute. In the 27th minute, young Argentine Claudio Echeverri became the author of the second goal. Erling Haaland, putting pressure on the defenders, confidently converted a penalty just before halftime, setting the score at 3:0.
In the second half, City’s dominance continued. In the 58th minute, Abdukodir Khusanov received a yellow card for a rough action. Three minutes later, the coach substituted him for Oscar Bobb. This substitution also worked: in the 75th minute, it was Bobb who scored.
Earlier, Ilkay Gundogan had scored again, registering a double. Near the end of the game, Ryan Cherki, who joined the team in the summer, scored his goal and set the final score at 6:0.
After playing for 61 minutes, Abdukodir Khusanov became the first Uzbek footballer in history to participate in FIFA’s new format of the Club World Cup. His name can also be noted for another reason: Khusanov became the first Manchester City player to receive a yellow card in this tournament.
Now City, having secured their place in the next stage, will play the last group match against Juventus. Both teams have collected 6 points, and this clash will determine the group winner. This titan showdown will take place on June 26. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
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