Ilkay Gundogan has expressed a tinge of disappointment despite Manchester City's dominant 6-0 victory over Al Ain in the FIFA Club World Cup. The win, secured on Sunday in Atlanta, guaranteed City's place in the knockout stages, but Gundogan felt the team could have achieved an even greater margin of victory.
City's performance was indeed commanding. Gundogan himself opened the scoring early, followed by goals from Claudio Echeverri, Erling Haaland (penalty), Oscar Bobb, and Rayan Cherki. Gundogan also added a second goal to his tally in the second half. The match statistics underscored City's dominance, with a staggering 74% possession and a 21-5 advantage in shots.
However, with Juventus also in their group, City needed to maximize their goal difference to gain an advantage in the standings. Juventus had previously defeated Al Ain 5-0, setting a high benchmark. As such, City players had a target of scoring seven goals at halftime in the match against Al Ain, but they were unable to reach this.
"It felt like we needed the seventh at the end," Gundogan said. "We set that as our target at half-time, but unfortunately, we didn't start the second half good enough. We were a bit slow. It felt like it cost us at the end."
The failure to score a seventh goal means Juventus holds a slight advantage in the race to top Group G. To secure the top spot and avoid a potentially tougher draw against the winner of Group H (likely to be Real Madrid) in the round of 16, City must now beat Juventus in their final group match in Orlando.
Despite the slight frustration, Gundogan acknowledged the positive aspects of the victory. He praised the team's overall performance, noting that they played better than in their previous match, a 2-0 win over Wydad Casablanca.
Manager Pep Guardiola echoed Gundogan's sentiments, admitting a desire for the seventh goal. "We pushed and pushed to score another goal to try to finish first, but we missed by one goal," Guardiola stated. "But yeah, we know what we need to do against the Italian team to finish as No 1."
Guardiola also lauded Gundogan's individual performance, describing him as an "exceptional player" who "reads what we have to do every game."
The match also saw impressive contributions from other players. Claudio Echeverri, making his first start for the club, scored a stunning free-kick. New signing Rayan Cherki also marked his debut with a goal, combining well with Haaland.
Looking ahead, Manchester City's clash with Juventus promises to be a crucial encounter. While both teams have already qualified for the knockout stages, the desire to top the group and secure a potentially easier draw will add extra intensity to the match. City will need to address the slow start to the second half that Gundogan highlighted and capitalize on their chances to achieve their desired outcome. The game is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
