By Daniel Edu
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, has characterized his team’s advancement to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final as a “once-in-a-lifetime” chance.
In the semi-finals of the 2023 Club World Cup on Tuesday night, December 19, Guardiola’s squad, missing their injured star Erling Haaland, faced off against Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds.
The Japanese team exhibited remarkable defensive resilience until the conclusion of the first half when defender Marius Hoibraten inadvertently redirected Matheus Nunes’ cross into his own net.
Shortly into the second half, Mateo Kovacic extended City’s lead by seizing the ball from Kyle Walker and slotting a shot past Urawa Red’s goalkeeper, Shusaku Nishikawa.
Approaching the hour mark, Nishikawa thwarted Nunes’ low attempt towards the bottom right corner for the Asian champions. Portuguese forward Bernardo Silva capitalized on the rebound to net City’s third goal.
City aims to become the fourth English club to secure the Club World Cup, following in the footsteps of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea.
Guardiola, who had previously won the competition during his tenure at Bayern Munich and as FC Barcelona manager, is poised to add to his accolades, given City’s convincing victory over the Asian champions.
Expressing the significance of reaching the Club World Cup final, Guardiola stated, “The players understand how crucial it is for the club. To reach this final, you have to achieve extraordinary feats like winning the Champions League. This might be the only occasion we play this in our lifetime. We are there. We will strive to win a title we don’t possess and complete the circle.”
The 2023 FIFA Club World Cup final will see Manchester City facing off against Fluminense of Brazil, who secured a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly in the first semi-final on Monday. The final is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, December 22.
