Few expected anything different. Even the lone, purple-clad Al Ain fan standing outside Atlanta’s enormous Mercedes-Benz Stadium three hours before kick-off conceded his side would be quickly dismantled by Manchester City and that it was in fact the Garden City club’s next match of this expanded Fifa Club World Cup where any joy this month will likely stem.
After a humbling 5-0 defeat to Juventus, the prospect of facing Pep Guardiola’s swashbuckling City unsurprisingly did not whet many Emirati appetites among the few who had made the trip across the Atlantic. Following that opening round loss to the Italians, Al Ain coach Vladimir Ivic had questioned whether his players watched European football. They certainly did a lot of watching against City: Guardiola’s side enjoyed more than 75 per cent possession as they went one better than Juve to serve up a tennis score 6-0 in front of 40,392 fans.
Yes, Al Ain created a couple of half chances, and, sure, players such as Nassim Chadli and Erik did their reputations no harm, but City, with all their financial might and global superstars, were never truly troubled. Such was the ease in which the Manchester giants cut through the opposition defence that Guardiola and his players discussed at half-time a need to score seven, enough to give them the outright lead over Juve in Group G.
Coming up a goal short was arguably the only blotch on an otherwise perfect night for the City-supporting side of the UAE capital as Guardiola’s team booked their place in the last 16.
“It felt at the end that we needed a seventh and we had set that as our target,” said Gundogan, who opened the scoring inside 10 minutes after collecting Bernardo Silva’s corner, sending Egyptian defender Ramy Rabia for a cup of karak, and lifting the ball up over goalkeeper Khalid Essa and into an empty net. The embarrassed grin etched on the face of the German midfielder – linked this week to Galatasaray – suggested he was more intent on picking out Erling Haaland at the back post than opening the scoring himself.
The contest, billed as an Abu Dhabi Derby, felt, in a football sense at least, more like an exhibition match than anything more meaningful. A Mexican wave on the half-hour confirmed as much. Argentine youngster Claudio Echeverri opened his account for City with a curling free-kick that not only sailed through a porous wall but also past a goalkeeper who watched as if he was unable to stop it rather than being the one man inside the stadium able to pluck it from the air had he moved a step to his left.
The gulf in quality was clear, and aside from Al Ain’s Moroccan midfielder Nassim Chadli, the Garden City club were, for large periods, chasing shadows like a team of vampires in the midday sun. On the stroke of half-time, Haaland added a third, sending Essa the wrong way from the spot after Rabia manhandled Manuel Akanji inside the area. Three goals from three shots on target.
“Manchester City is obviously a very strong team,” said Chadli. “If you make one mistake, they hurt you, so we need to learn from this and refocus for the next match. In the counter-attack, you could see we had a lot of space, but then when they have the ball, it makes it very difficult. We are professional footballers though and we like to play this kind of game; before the match I was very excited. The ball moves so fast – it is crazy.”
Despite City’s desire to score seven – one for each of the Emirates? – they started the second period sluggish, and it took them until the 74th minute to add a fourth. Gundogan again latched on to a Silva pass and slipped the ball over the UAE keeper, before substitute Oscar Bobb added a fifth from distance and the impressive Rayan Cherki bagged his first since joining from Lyon.
It was fitting that such a display of footballing excellence took place in Atlanta, the United States’ own ambitious metropolis. While the UAE capital is building from the top down, Atlanta is building from the ground up, establishing itself as one of the premier soccer cities in the US, not just in terms of attendance, but also culture, community, and infrastructure. Its MLS franchise Atlanta United regularly plays to huge crowds in this $1.6 billion stadium that will next summer host seven World Cup matches – including a semi-final. They also enjoy local support that has suburban homes proudly flying the club’s red-and-black striped flag alongside the omnipresent star-spangled banner. It feels real.
Yet this match was about another city starting with A: One UAE city represented by two clubs across three continents. And given the financial differences between the two clubs – Ivic conceded pre-match that one City player costs the same as several of his own – there should be no real shame in Al Ain’s struggles. Even if Brazilian midfielder Erik looked despondent as he addressed the media post-match.
“From my first day at this club, I have always dreamt big,” he said. “Unfortunately, until now at this World Cup, what we have shown is not what we want the supporters to remember. Inshallah, we can be better in the last game.”
Erik and Co face Wydad AC on Thursday in Washington DC intent on finishing their campaign on a high. Few in the Middle East have looked of late to Washington for hope and joy, but that is all that Al Ain can now do.
