The way that Manchester City raced back to halfway when the sixth went in with two minutes left made it obvious that they knew the deal.
Win by seven against Al Ain and the prospects of avoiding Real Madrid in the last 16 became far easier to achieve. Only a draw with Juventus would do it then. If it stayed at six, they’d have to beat the Italians.
So when Rayan Cherki thundered home his first goal in blue, Ruben Dias was among those to cajole everybody back as quickly as possible. Bernardo Silva tapped an imaginary watch on the bench. Urgency that had occasionally lacked in the 88 minutes prior.
A seventh was not forthcoming, too little too late and while City will be pleased to have two wins and two clean sheets, this was a huge missed opportunity to make their lives significantly easier.
This could have been 10, really. Erling Haaland scores at least a hat-trick and possibly more in different circumstances. Josko Gvardiol struck a post, Phil Foden had a late chance saved at point-blank range.
It stopped at six, missing the chance to leapfrog Juventus ahead of their meeting in Orlando later this week. Win and it is likely they potentially save Real for later in the Club World Cup. Anything less and it is a last-16 match up, barring a monumental upset in Real’s final game against Salzburg.
Manchester City secured a place in the FIFA Club World Cup’s round of 16 by thrashing Al Ain
Rayan Cherki (right), a summer signing from Lyon, was among the scorers for his City first
Ilkay Gundogan (left) scored two goals in a one-sided game against the UAE’s best team
Although not the end of the world by any stretch, one goal shy of the tally needed will be majorly frustrating. Ilkay Gundogan finished with a brace yet Haaland couldn’t follow up his penalty with any more.
The Norwegian has just one goal from open play in his last 11 games for City, either side of an ankle injury towards the end of last season. He seemed disgruntled at full-time.
Some will look at Rayan Ait-Nouri’s performance, buccaneering down the line with abandon. City have a left back, finally, after all these years. And one who looks like he’ll contribute plenty in the attacking third. Or they’ll focus on Cherki’s strong cameo or Oscar Bobb’s goal off the bench.
Others will be drawn towards the negative of now needing to beat Juve. Reality, as always, is somewhere in between those points of view.
Guardiola kicked his heels, looking somewhat displeased with how City moved the ball through midfield in the early exchanges, and Al Ain created one huge opportunity when only a fortunate Ilkay Gundogan opener separated the two clubs owned by members of the same royal family.
Nico Gonzalez took possession from Abdukodir Khusanov and turned into a jam, then backing into traffic without checking his mirrors, and once Abdoul Karim Traore had nipped in, Stefan Ortega was forced into tipping wide Nassim Chadli’s effort.
Gundogan’s goal, after eight minutes, came from a corner, picking up a loose ball and standing up towards the back post where Erling Haaland – who’d later score a penalty – waited. The cross floated over the goalkeeper and in, City on their way. Gundogan sheepishly laughed.
Teenager Claudio Echeverri had a night to remember as he scored his first-ever goal for City
Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland was also on the scoresheet, converting a penalty kick
Oscar Bobb (left) took his club goal tally to three when he found the net late in the second half
The lead doubled three minutes before the half-hour, when Claudio Echeverri – on full debut – sized up a free-kick from 20 yards, at a tricky angle for a right footer. Khalid Eisa’s wall was porous, one huge gap, and the Argentine teenager whipped beautifully, touching the net’s roof.
Echeverri had taken a few knocks, coming off at half-time for Foden, and City must decide what best serves his development this season. The attacking midfielder, whose first taste of English football came as a substitute in the FA Cup final, continues to impress in training – team-mates surprised by his technical ability to begin with – but may benefit more from consistent games.
Those will not be forthcoming in a squad swelling in numbers and already packed full of talent. Displays like this will pique the interest of better sides than perhaps first envisaged were it decided that some temporary time away was the way to go.
City needed more goals, three nowhere near enough, and almost had a fourth when Matheus Nunes volleyed wide after juggling the ball with his head as if on show at a Sea Life Centre. Haaland had missed two earlier chances, both when through on goal and both you’d expect him to tuck away, and saw Eisa produce a double save when latching on to a perfect Foden cross.
One more was eventually forthcoming, with Gundogan showing the instincts of a few years ago, the 2021 title win when he finished top scorer, by reading Silva’s pass to dink over Eisa.
That came with 17 minutes left and City started to motor all of a sudden. Bobb, always a tricky customer on the right wing, danced inside and slipped inside the near post. Five. And soon six, when Cherki powered in, only for Foden to see a huge late chance wonderfully saved.
Five more minutes and they probably would have done it but then perhaps Guardiola can take a positive from Thursday having something riding on it.