Man City vs Wydad AC - LIVE!
Manchester City began their Club World Cup campaign with a routine 2-0 win over Wydad AC in Philadelphia. Pep Guardiola handed debuts to Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders and watched his side make a perfect start against the Moroccan side, as Phil Foden opened the scoring inside two minutes.
Jeremy Doku finished from a corner to double the lead before half-time, though Wydad impressed and did offer a threat on the counter throughout. City remained in control though, and brought on the likes of Erling Haaland and Rodri in the second-half, with both looking rusty as passes were misplaced and chances missed.
The match ended in frustrating fashion for City as Rico Lewis was shown a straight red card in the closing stages, when he and Samuel Obeng slid in for a loose ball and Lewis hooked the ball away before catching the Wydad forward in the head as he followed through.
Man City vs Wydad latest news
- RED CARD! Lewis dismissed late on
- GOAL! Doku doubles lead before half-time
- GOAL! Foden strikes inside two minutes
FT: Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
19:00 , Matt VerriFull-time in Philadelphia and Man City are up and running with an opening win.
Wydad gave a good account of themselves, but didn’t quite have the quality in the final third.
Frustrating end to the match for City with that late red card for Lewis.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:57 , Matt Verri90+3 mins: Rodri slides in Haaland, he’s clean through on goal.
But he sends the finish straight at the goalkeeper - would have backed him to finish that.
Both he and Rodri have looked pretty rusty.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:55 , Matt Verri90+1 mins: Savinho off, Nunes on as City try and see these final minutes out.
Six of them added on.
RED CARD!
18:52 , Matt VerriLewis has been shown a straight red card!
Well then, he looks absolutely stunned with that decision.
Lewis and Obeng both slid in, City man hooked the ball away and his boot then caught Obeng in the head on his follow through.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:47 , Matt Verri84 mins: City corner, plenty of pushing and shoving going on in the middle. Too much for the referee’s liking, who has a word with about ten players.
Swung to the back post... swung over everyone.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:43 , Matt Verri80 mins: Wydad fans let off some red flares, which the referee decides have impacting things enough to stop for a few seconds.
He then realises everyone can probably survive and quickly cracks on.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:38 , Matt Verri75 mins: Lewis spots a gap in midfield and charges straight through it.
Lays the ball off to Haaland, who shifts it onto his left foot and has space on the edge of the area. Blazed over.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:36 , Matt Verri73 mins: Ederson strolls off his line, decides against booting it up the pitch and basically dribbles his way out of trouble.
Might as well if you can.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:33 , Matt Verri69 mins: Hydration break needed, as the referee halts play.
Does tend to happen when you play in the middle of the day in summer in hot places.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:30 , Matt Verri66 mins: File that under ‘rusty’ - Rodri passes the ball straight out of play.
The Spaniard has already had plenty of touches though, immediately back into his familiar role of keeping things ticking along.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:27 , Matt Verri63 mins: Couple of corners for Wydad, who are now attacking the end where their fans are grouped together.
Flicked on at the near post, but City clear.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:23 , Matt Verri60 mins: Here are those changes.
Foden, Cherki and Doku off, as Rodri, Bobb and Haaland are introduced.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:21 , Matt Verri58 mins: Rodri and Haaland are both getting ready to come on.
Just what Wydad were desperate to see, I’m sure.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:18 , Matt Verri54 mins: Massive chance for Doku to make it 3-0.
He pounces on a heavy touch and he’s clean through on goal, but it’s a tame effort. Too obvious that he was going to try and bend it into the far corner, goalkeeper saves.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:16 , Matt Verri52 mins: About 60% of this half has been spent with both sets of players knowing the offside flag is about to go up.
As ever, we play on for a bit before the linesman gets bored and decides to bring things back.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
18:13 , Matt Verri49 mins: Couple of shots from distance early in the half for Wydad.
It’s 10-7 on the shot count - not sure many expected it to be as close as that.
Problem is most of those from Wydad have been from about three miles away.
Back underway!
18:08 , Matt VerriUp and running in the second-half!
Fast start!
17:57 , Matt VerriHere’s how Man City took the lead inside two minutes.
1' GOAL! Foden opens the score under 2 minutes of gameplay! 🔥
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 18, 2025
Watch the @FIFACWC | June 14 - July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #MCIWAC pic.twitter.com/tf8qvq3jvf
HT: Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
17:50 , Matt VerriThat’s half-time in Philly.
City started the half well and finished it strongly - in between that it was fairly even.
Goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku have City in control.
Man City 2-0 Wydad AC
17:47 , Matt Verri45 mins: Lorch continues to shoot whenever he’s even vaguely within view of the goal. This one whistles past the post, Ederson was a bit concerned.
Three minutes added on.
GOAL! Man City 2-0 Wydad AC | Jeremy Doku 42'
17:44 , Matt VerriThe latest in a long line of City corners. Foden to take this one.
And it brings a second goal for City!
If Doku is scoring from corners, you might want to look at your marking. He just runs in at the back post and turns in from a few yards out.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:39 , Matt Verri38 mins: Talk about jinxing it...
Cherki makes the run in behind, cuts it back perfectly for Foden and he looks certain to make it 2-0, but Benabid gets down superbly to save.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:39 , Matt Verri37 mins: Bit more control for City in the last few minutes, content to just keep the ball.
But the threat they had early on has dropped right off. Haven’t really seen Foden have a kick since the opening minutes.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:33 , Matt Verri32 mins: Should be 1-1!
Reis fails to deal with a ball over the top and Lorch is clean through on goal.
He chops onto his right foot, lays it off for Mailula and he’s denied by Ederson.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:32 , Matt Verri30 mins: Fair play to Wydad, it’s been a decent 30 minutes overall.
They had a disastrous start and you feared this could be a hammering, but they have held their own since then.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:28 , Matt Verri26 mins: Nearly a superb ball from Reijnders, as Doku makes a great run in behind. It’s just about hacked behind for a corner.
City have been dangerous from these so far, but this one is too close to the goalkeeper and it’s punched out.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:24 , Matt Verri22 mins: Real chance for Wydad again!
Brilliant from Lorch, flicking the ball over the heads of two City players and then squaring it.
Zemraoui could pass it outside, he could shoot... instead whips out a dreadful dive. So bad that halfway down he decides it’s not even worth appealing.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:21 , Matt Verri19 mins: Marmoush to take the latest corner for City.
Ake rises highest at the back post, nods the header towards the far corner... just wide!
Goalkeeper wasn’t getting within three yards of that.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:18 , Matt Verri16 mins: Mailula with a really poor challenge on Marmoush.
Near enough waste high as he rushes in and catches the City forward. Can be grateful it’s only a yellow.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:16 , Matt Verri14 mins: No lack of confidence in this Wydad side.
Moufi picks it up ten yards inside his own half, sees Ederson off his line and decides to try his luck.
Decent effort, but Ederson has time to ge back and claim it comfortably enough.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:13 , Matt Verri11 mins: Chance for Wydad!
They break quickly down their left, ball flashed across the face of goal and Lorch throws himself at it... can’t make contact.
Any kind of touch and it was 1-1.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:10 , Matt Verri8 mins: Foden, Savinho and Cherki all drifting over to that right wing and combining really nicely.
It’s another lovely move down that flank, comes to Marmoush on the edge of the area and he flashes a strike inches wide.
Man City 1-0 Wydad AC
17:07 , Matt Verri5 mins: How ruthless are City feeling this evening?
Because every time they attack they look capable of strolling through the red shirts.
Wydad, to be fair, are trying to play their way out from the back. It’s a brave strategy...
GOAL! Man City 1-0 Wydad AC | Phil Foden 2'
17:04Well that didn’t take long!
Savinho skips past his man on the outside, cross into the middle is parried out by the goalkeeper and Foden turns it into the far corner.
Easy as you like.
KICK-OFF!
17:02 , Matt VerriWe’re up and running!
We’ve finally made it through 22 lots of that nonsense.
Time for some football, I reckon.
Here we go!
16:54 , Matt VerriBig section of red shirts behind one of the goals, Wydad fans making themselves heard.
Right, here are the players. They are walking out and being announced individually, as has been the case all tournament.
Not long now...
16:48 , Matt VerriKick-off about ten minutes away.
Warm-ups done, there are at least some fans in the stands so we’ll take that.
All-out attack!
16:38 , Matt VerriA midfield of Tijjani Reijnders, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki. Savinho and Jeremy Doku with the pace out wide. Omar Marmoush through the middle.
It would almost be impressive if Man City don’t possess a real threat in attack this evening.
No shortage of players who will be to be on the front foot. Could leave them exposed in midfield, but do Wydad have the quality to take advantage?
More attention on crowd size...
16:28 , Matt VerriIt would be fair to say atmospheres have not exactly been electric so far at this tournament.
Chelsea began their campaign in a largely empty stadium, while there was hardly anyone in attendance last night when Ulsan played the Sundowns.
The 12pm local time kick-off for this match in Philadelphia isn’t great for filling seats either, but there are a few Moroccan supporters making themselves heard.
With us, always. 🔥❤️🇺🇸#DimaWydad #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld pic.twitter.com/8Ez3gNZkUZ
— Wydad Athletic Club (@WACofficiel) June 18, 2025
Silva coy on long-term future
16:18 , Matt VerriBernardo Silva is Man City’s new captain, but his comments after that announcement suggested that this could be his final season at the club.
Silva has regularly been linked with a move away in recent seasons, with Barcelona among the clubs interested.
“I know what I’m going to do but it’s not the time to talk about that,” Silva said.
“I’m very focused on my season. I’m very focused on performing well for Man City. When the time is due I will talk about it.
“I have one year on my contract so obviously I can leave next season. This season will for sure be with Man City. I’m going to stay.
“I’ve had options in the past and this year, like last year and this year, my option is to stay at Man City.”
Wydad team news
16:04Starting XI: Benabid, Boutoil, Moufid, Meijers, Moufi, Ferreira, Zemraoui, El Moubarik, Lorch, Amrabat, Mailula
Subs: Aqzdaou, Benktib, Bennani, El Motie, Fathi, Harkass, Ki, Mahtou, Malsa, Moutaraji, Mwalimu, Obeng, Rayhi
Two debuts!
15:56 , Matt VerriSo Cherki and Reijnders both start for Man City, handed immediate debuts for their new club.
Foden starts in midfield, while Marmoush leads the line with Haaland only on the bench.
Fairly inexperienced defence - Lewis and O’Reilly the two full-backs and Reis alongside Ake.
Silva and Rodri also among those on a strong bench.
Man City team news
15:47 , Matt VerriStarting XI: Ederson, Lewis, Reis, Ake, O’Reilly, Reijnders, Foden, Cherki, Savinho, Marmoush, Doku
Subs: Ortega, Dias, Stones, Haaland, Nico, Rodri, Gundogan, Bernardo, Ait-Nouri, Gvardiol, Akanji, Nunes, Echeverri, Khusanov, Bobb
Guardiola: We have huge respect for Wydad
15:41 , Matt VerriPep Guardiola was asked for his thoughts on Wydad at his pre-match press conference yesterday, and duly ticked off as many textbook manager soundbits as he could.
"Football has grown up a lot all around the world,” the City boss said.
“All these teams have individual quality. We have huge, huge respect. We saw what we could see of them.
“We have a gameplan and we are here to make a good tournament."
Back-to-back?
15:32 , Matt VerriMan City are the defending Club World Cup champions, for those who have forgotten.
It was a very different affair in 2023, though.
City beat Urawa Red Diamonds in the semi-finals, saw off Fluminense in the final four days later and were swiftly back home.
Going to require a bit more than that this time.
Silva steps up as captain
15:17 , Matt VerriBernardo Silva has been named Man City’s new captain.
Pep Guardiola usually lets the players decide for themselves, but has stepped in this time, with Rodri, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland the vice-captains.
"I'm the manager this season, for the first time in my career, I decided who would be my captain," said Guardiola. "I didn't like what happened last season. I decided this season.
"Sometimes I want to be the boss and this season I decided to do it, so I chose the four captains and at the end of this World Cup, maybe we will choose one or two more."
Set the scene...
15:13 , Matt VerriThe Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia hosts this evening’s match.
Would suggest a local kick-off time of 12pm on a Wednesday afternoon probably isn’t ideal for a big attendance...
Standard Sport prediction
15:05 , Matt VerriThe Premier League outfit should be too strong for their Moroccan counterparts. Having seen PSG, Bayern Munich and Chelsea all get off to winning starts, Man City will be keen to put down a marker too.
Expect City to dominate possession for large spells and an early goal could see them run up a big scoreline.
Man City to win, 4-0.
Man City team news
14:58 , Matt VerriRayan Cherki is in contention to make his Manchester City debut against Wydad AC this evening.
Cherki, one of four Man City summer signings, completed a £30m move from Lyon last week and should be raring to go having featured for France in the Nations League finals.
Meanwhile, Rayan Ait-Nouri is also pushing to make his first Man City appearance after joining from Wolves. As a natural left-back, his inclusion in the side could see Josko Gvardiol continue in his favoured centre-back role alongside Ruben Dias.
Erling Haaland is expected to lead the line with Omar Marmoush and Phil Foden possibly joining Cherki as the trio who will be tasked with feeding the City number nine with chances as well as providing a goal threat themselves.
City are without the injured Mateo Kovacic whilst Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and James McAtee were not named in the Club World Cup squad.
Predicted Man City XI: Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, Ait-Nouri; Rodri, Reijnders; Cherki, Marmoush, Foden; Haaland
How to watch Man City vs Wydad AC
14:47 , Matt VerriTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on 5 (formerly known as Channel 5), which is free-to-air. Coverage starts at 4pm BST ahead of a 5pm kick-off at Lincoln Financial Field.
Live stream: Viewers can also watch the action live online via channel5.com and DAZN.
DAZN is the global broadcaster of the new-look Club World Cup. No subscription is required to watch the game, with the entire tournament available to their 'Freemium' members, which means you only need to sign up for a free DAZN account.
Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us!
Good afternoon!
14:36 , Matt VerriHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Manchester City vs Wydad AC!
Pep Guardiola’s side have had to wait a few days to get their Club World Cup campaign underway, but they now have the chance to put on a show against their Moroccan opposition.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 5pm BST!
