City lead 3–1 against the K League All-Stars at the break in Seoul, with Tijjani Reijnders at the heart of an entertaining opening 45 minutes.
On a muggy evening where sweltering temperatures quickly took their toll on the pace of the game, Enzo Maresca’s side did most of their damage early on, striking three times inside the first 25 minutes.
Key moments
- 8 mins — Goal: City took an early lead through Rayan Aït-Nouri. Reijnders carried the ball upfield before picking out Aït-Nouri, who curled a neat finish into the far corner.
- 12 mins — Goal: The local crowd were back on their feet moments later when Dae-won Kim pulled the All-Stars level, finishing off a sharp counter-attack.
- 19 mins — Goal: Reijnders restored City’s advantage himself, driving through the middle of the K League defence before slotting past Song Beom-geun.
- 22 mins — Goal: Divin Mubama made it three shortly after, turning the ball in from close range after City worked space down the side.
How the half unfolded
City controlled the early exchanges, with Reijnders and Mateo Kovačić keeping things ticking over in midfield. Reijnders in particular caused plenty of problems with his runs from deep, setting up the opener before grabbing the second himself.
The home side threatened when they were able to break quickly, taking their main chance well through Kim, but Mubama’s tap-in then gave City a comfortable cushion.
The heat in Seoul began to tell as the half wore on, with the tempo dropping significantly before the halftime whistle.
With Maresca expected to make changes after the restart, the likes of Savinho and Rayan Cherki remain options off the bench for City.
