Manchester City comfortably beat Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, although they did not have their super-striker Erling Haaland. Own goals from Mateo Kovacic, Bernardo Silva and Marius Hobraten helped Manchester City win the game and reach the final against South American champions Fluminense. Manchester City haven't been in great form in the Premier League lately, claiming just one win in their last six matches.
However, they had no problem against Urawa Rubies, extending the European team's unbeaten streak of 14 games against Asian sides at the Club World Cup. Haaland has missed three games in a row with a foot injury, but when he appeared on the big screen, he was still warmly welcomed by the crowd. Kevin De Bruyne also missed the game despite returning to training on Monday.
City lacked attacking threat in the absence of two key players but scored an own goal just before half-time to break the deadlock. In the second half, City dominated the game and scored two goals through Mateo Kovacic and Silva. There was never any doubt about the outcome of the game, and the Urawa team struggled to balance with Manchester City's dominance. The win allowed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to rest some key players and prepare for the latter stages of the game. The win gave City a thrilling final against Fluminense as they look to add another trophy.