Guardiola Praises Reijnders, Cherki as Man City Win Club World Cup Opener

Manchester City Begin Club World Cup Campaign with 2-0 Win Over Wydad Casablanca; Guardiola Praises New Signings

Manchester City kicked off their Club World Cup campaign with a solid 2-0 win over Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca on Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku secured the victory as Pep Guardiola’s side began their Group G journey on a high note.

City’s lineup featured several fresh faces, including new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, who made immediate impacts in their debuts. Reijnders, a Dutch midfielder signed from AC Milan, played the full 90 minutes in hot and demanding conditions, impressing Guardiola with his presence and energy.

“He’s a really, really good player,” Guardiola said. “You can feel it — the pace, his decision-making in the final third. Once he gains more rhythm, he’ll be top.”

Rayan Cherki, a 21-year-old attacking midfielder from Lyon, also started the game and was substituted after an hour. He has been brought in to help fill the gap left by Kevin De Bruyne’s departure, and Guardiola acknowledged the challenge of replacing such a talent.

“Of course, Kevin is hard to replace,” Guardiola said. “But Rayan has incredible skills near the box, great vision — many things. This was just the first game, and I’m really pleased he’s here.”

The City lineup had an experimental feel, with young Brazilian defender Vitor Reis making only his third appearance since signing in January. Nathan Ake also returned to action for the first time since February.

Notably, key players such as Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Ilkay Gundogan started on the bench. New signing Rayan Ait-Nouri was also an unused substitute, though Guardiola hinted at rotating the entire lineup for City’s next match against Al Ain in Atlanta on Sunday.

“We had new players and guys playing in different roles,” Guardiola noted. “We gave minutes to many who needed them. In the next game, 10 new players will come in. We’ll try to win again.”

However, City will miss youngster Rico Lewis in their next match after he received a red card late in the game.

On a brighter note, Phil Foden, who endured a challenging previous season, delivered a standout performance. He opened the scoring and provided an assist for the second goal.

“Last season wasn’t my best,” Foden admitted. “So I wanted to start this season strong. I’m happy I scored and got an assist to help the team.”

As City look ahead to continuing their Club World Cup journey, the performance of new signings and returning players gives them plenty of reasons to be optimistic.