City end Asia Tour with fine Yokohama win

A crowd of 65,052 were treated to a fine spectacle; an open, attacking game that saw both sides try to play out from the back. 

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Lukas Nmecha sealed the win for City, who now head back to Manchester to continue preparations for the new season. 

Pep Guardiola made just two changes from the game against Kitchee, with Rodri and Oleksandr Zinchenko replacing Ilkay Gundogan and Angelino.

What happened

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a rasping left-footed finish after fine work from Bernardo Silva, who was excellent throughout.

Guardiola warned of Yokohama’s quality at his pre-match press conference and they were soon level, Keita Endo tapping home from close range after a fine double save from Claudio Bravo.

Leroy Sane fired over from a good position after one of his trademark mazy runs, before Bernardo curled one inches wide after the ball was squared to him on the edge of the area.

A second City goal felt inevitable and it arrived five minutes before half time. De Bruyne produced a beautifully weighted pass that took out three Yokohama defenders and put Sterling clean through on goal, and the forward finished in typically calm fashion.

The second half was just as entertaining, with both team continuing to play an open, attractive style. Sterling thought he’d extended City’s lead when he fired into the roof of the net, but Kyle Walker was adjudged to be offside.

Bravo’s one-handed save low down to his right from Otsu kept City ahead as Yokohama went in search of an equaliser, but our dominance was underlined when substitute Lukas Nmecha finished from close range.

Man of the match

De Bruyne. Much like his 45-minute display against Wolves in Shanghai, his range of passing was the game’s most impressive element. 

He managed 74 minutes tonight in tough conditions, a giant leap forward in terms of fitness, and continually produced quality. He lashed home the opener in style and was the main architect of our best moments. It was a brilliant display. 

If he stays injury-free this term, expect some end-of-season awards to come his way. Different class.

What next?

The squad will now travel back to Manchester where preseason preparations will continue at the CFA. Guardiola and his staff will be focused on fine-tuning the players ahead of the Community Shield game against Liverpool at Wembley on August 4, six days before our Premier League campaign gets under way away at West Ham United.