Result Manchester City 2 – 0 WAC Casablanca, Wednesday 18 June 2025, FIFA Club World Cup Group Stage

Manchester City beat WAC Casablanca in the Group Stage of the FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.  Manchester City kicked off their journey with a solid 2-0 win against Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca.  The win was secured by first-half goals from Phil Foden and Jérémy Doku.

Coach Pep Guardiola chose to rest several key players, including Erling Haaland, Rodri, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol, and John Stones. Even with a second-string lineup, City took less than two minutes to score.

In the 2nd minute, Phil Foden capitalized on a cross from Savinho that was deflected by Wydad goalkeeper Mehdi Benabid, with the England midfielder firing a first-time shot into the net to give City an early lead.

City extended their lead in the 42nd minute when Foden executed a precise corner kick, and Jérémy Doku caught the Wydad defense off guard to volley in at the far post.

Manchester City ended the match with 10 players after Rico Lewis received a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Samuel Obeng in the 88th minute.

Summer signings Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders made their debuts for City as starters, while the club’s other new signing, defender Rayan Ait-Nouri, did not feature. Wydad, unfazed by the early goal, displayed resilience and posed a threat on the counterattack, with forward Cassius Mailula almost equalizing with a daring lob from midfield in the 15th minute.

Photo via x.com/FIFACWC

.@PhilFoden opens Man City’s #FIFACWC journey with the first goal and the first win – deservedly named #SuperiorPlayeroftheMatch!#SuperiorisWorthPlayingFor |@MichelobULTRA | @playformichelob pic.twitter.com/wLEIVsd6g8

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 18, 2025

Stats before the game

Currently, Manchester City is enjoying a strong run, having achieved victories over Fulham and Bournemouth, and they aim to maintain this momentum with a win against WAC Casablanca.

On the other hand, WAC Casablanca is gearing up for the match following a defeat to Union de Touarga in the Excellence Cup on June 10. Their defense is a point of concern, as they have allowed goals in each of their last four games.

Match Officials

Manchester City – Wydad Casablanca

Referee: Ramon Abatti BRA
Assistant Referee 1: Danilo Manis BRA
Assistant Referee 2: Rafael Alves BRA
Fourth Official: Ma Ning CHN
VAR: Juan Soto VEN
AVAR: Erick Miranda MEX
SVAR: Carlos Del Cerro Grande ESP

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Result Pachuca 1 – 2 Salzburg, Wednesday 18 June 2025, FIFA Club World Cup, Group stage

Unfortunate news for Pachuca, the reigning Concacaf champions, as they fell to Red Bull Salzburg in the FIFA Club World Cup Group H match on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The winning goal was scored by substitute Karim Onisiwo, who netted a header in the 76th minute, securing a 2-1 victory for RB Salzburg.

Oscar Gloukh’s strike from outside the penalty area in the 42nd minute set the tone for the Austrian team, which climbed to the top of the group after Real Madrid and Al-Hilal played to a draw in their tournament opener.

Match delay …

The match experienced a significant delay of about 90 minutes early in the second half due to severe weather conditions, but Pachuca’s Bryan González managed to equalize with a free kick in the 56th minute, just moments after playing resumed. The ball found its way in at the near post after curving over the defensive wall.

Unfortunately for Pachuca, that was the only goal that got past 18-year-old Salzburg goalkeeper Christian Zawieschitzky, who was making his senior debut.

For the opening goal, Gloukh received a pass from Valentin Sulzbacher on the left side of the penalty area, maneuvered around lunging defender Pedro Pedraza to his right foot, and then sent his shot beyond Carlos Moreno’s reach into the far right corner.

Prior to Gloukh’s goal, Zawieschitzky had already denied Pachuca’s Salomón Rondón twice and Elias Montiel, keeping the score level for his team.

Just two minutes after the break, the Salzburg goalkeeper was quick to deny Alexei Dominguez at his near post, and he maintained his composure to stop Rondón again after the veteran Venezuelan connected with Kenedy’s early cross.

Photo via x.com/FIFACWC

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Pachuca was involved in Club Leon’s exit from the tournament because both clubs are owned by Pachuca Group, violating FIFA’s multi-club ownership regulations. The ownership decided to keep Pachuca in the tournament, while Club Leon was substituted by Los Angeles FC, and now they are set to begin their match against the Austrian team RB Salzburg.

Match Officials

CF Pachuca – FC Salzburg
Referee: Mustapha Ghorbal ALG
Assistant Referee 1: Mokrane Gourari ALG
Assistant Referee 2: Abbes Zerhouni ALG
Fourth Official: Ibrahim Mutaz LYB
VAR: Hamza El Fariq MAR
AVAR: Mahmoud Ashour EGY
SVAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski POL

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Simply sublime from Oscar Gloukh 👏#FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/i7OBsm6MsE

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 18, 2025

Result Real Madrid 1 – 1 Al Hilal Riyadh, Wednesday 18 June 2025, FIFA Club World Cup, Group stage

Real Madrid and Al Hilal ended their debut in the FIFA Club World Cup with a draw on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. This match was Xabi Alonso’s first official game as the head coach of Real Madrid.

Former Inter Coach Simone Inzaghi made his debut with his new team, Al Hilal. A last-minute penalty taken by Federico Valverde was saved by Al Hilal’s Yassine Bounou, highlighting a day when Madrid’s stamina and creativity faded in the heat and humidity.

With Mbappé sidelined, it was the 21-year-old Garcia who took the lead for Madrid, and he certainly delivered, while new recruit Trent Alexander-Arnold fell short of the expectations that led the Spanish club to sign him from Liverpool.

The action …

Gonzalo García, filling in for the ill Kylian Mbappé, gave Madrid an early advantage in the 34th minute. García found the net with a right-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner, beating goalkeeper Yassine Bounou. He was assisted by Rodrygo during a quick counterattack.

Al Hilal equalized in the 41st minute with a penalty. Rúben Neves successfully converted the penalty with a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner. The penalty was awarded after Raúl Asencio fouled Marcos Leonardo in the penalty area.

In the 92nd minute, Real Madrid squandered the opportunity to secure a win. Federico Valverde took the penalty, but his low right-footed shot aimed at the bottom corner was saved by Bounou. This penalty was given after Mohammed Al Qahtani fouled García.

Meanwhile, RB Salzburg and Pachuca are set to clash in the other Group H match later on Wednesday. Madrid will face the Mexican team on Sunday, while Al Hilal will go up against Salzburg in what could be a crucial match for advancing to the knockout stage.

Stats before the game

The encounter with Al Hilal will signify the start of a new chapter for Los Merengues under Xabi Alonso’s leadership, following a challenging 2024-2025 season with Carlo Ancelotti, who has since taken on the role of head coach for Brazil.

As the two favorites in Group H prepare to face off, it’s worth noting that they have only met once before, during the final of the previous format of the Club World Cup. In that thrilling match in 2023, Real Madrid emerged victorious in a high-scoring game, with Vini Jr. and Federico Valverde each scoring twice, along with a goal from Karim Benzema.

The Player of the Match award is presented to Gonzalo Garcia of Real Madrid.
FIFA Club World Cup Group Stage
Real Madrid 1 – 1 Al Hilal Riyadh

Gonzalo Garcia scores a debut goal for Real Madrid in the #FIFACWC earning his first #SuperiorPlayerofTheMatch#SuperiorisWorthPlayingFor pic.twitter.com/09roaUL3M1

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 18, 2025

Game respects game 🤝#FIFACWC

— FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 18, 2025

Match Officials

Real Madrid 1 – 1 Al Hilal
Referee: Facundo Tello ARG
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Belatti ARG
Assistant Referee 2: Gabriel Chade ARG
Fourth Official: Cesar Ramos MEX
VAR: Leodan Gonzalez URU
AVAR: Hernan Mastrangelo ARG
SVAR: Tatiana Guzman NCA

Lineup REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Asencio, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Tchouameni, Valverde, Bellingham; Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Gonzalo.

Coach:  Xabi Alonso

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