A Marius Hoibraten own goal gave us the lead on the cusp of half-time, before superb strikes from Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva secured the victory at the King Abdullah Sports City.
Pep Guardiola’s side will now lock horns with Brazilian outfit Fluminense with the aim of adding to our historic Treble from last season and subsequent Super Cup success.
From a first goal in sky blue, to an all-action display in the middle of the park – discover some of the best talking points from our victory over Urawa Red Diamonds below.
SHOWPIECE
By reaching the global showpiece which takes place on Friday 22 December at 18:00 (UK), City will be aiming to join an exclusive club by lifting the prestigious trophy.
If the Treble winners can dispatch Fluminense at the Kind Abdullah Sports City, we will become the first English team to hold the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Super Cup and Club World Cup simultaneously.
What’s more, Guardiola’s team would become only the fourth English team to win the tournament if we can see past Fernando Diniz’s side.
OFF THE MARK
By netting our second goal against Urawa Red Diamonds, Kovacic is now off the mark in sky blue.
The combative midfielder’s strike fell shortly after the interval when Kyle Walker delivered a precise, defence-splitting pass which allowed the Croatian to break into the box and fire into the roof of the net.
It represented his first goal for the Club since his summer switch from Chelsea.
THE THICK OF IT
Throughout the entertaining semi-final with the Japanese side, Walker and Rodrigo continually pulled the strings and orchestrated City’s free-flowing football.
The England defender registered the most touches during the semi-final with 125 and was closely followed by the Spaniard, who tallied 123.
Not only were they keen to receive the ball, the pair were also at the top of the charts for completed passes.
Walker found a teammate 110 times (with 43 coming in the final third) and Rodrigo produced 108 successful passes with 41 of those in the opposition’s third.
ON A PLATE
Jack Grealish and Phil Foden played a combined 155 minutes against Urawa Red Diamonds with the former completing the full 90.
During the fixture, the creative duo produced the most chances with four apiece as we reached the final of the Club World Cup.
What’s more, Grealish attempted the most crosses out of any other City player with five and Foden was second in the list with three.
BOX TO BOX
Summer signing from Wolves Matheus Nunes enjoyed a strong individual display at King Abdullah Sports City and was often at the heart of Guardiola’s side.
The Portugal international registered the most shots in the game by firing six efforts towards goal – three of which were on target which was also highest of any other player.
He also produced six successful dribbles against the Japanese side – the most alongside Jack Grealish.
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
Every match at the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup is available to watch in the UK on TNT Sports and FIFA+. For fans outside of the UK, click here to find out how you can watch the matches in Saudi Arabia.
The official Man City app will also have free live radio commentary as part of our usual Matchday Live show that includes studio guests previewing and analysing the action.
