Manchester City came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in a pre-season friendly in Seoul, with Omar Marmoush scoring twice in three second-half minutes after Antoine Semenyo created both goals.
Atletico led shortly before half-time after City failed to clear Koke’s corner effectively. Morten Hjulmand then picked out 16-year-old Jorge Dominguez, who finished past Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
City responded in the 57th minute when Semenyo showed excellent determination to keep the ball in play before driving into the penalty area on the left. His low cross reached Marmoush, who made no mistake from close range.
The same combination produced City’s second goal just two minutes later. Semenyo again delivered a low ball from the left and Marmoush completed another straightforward finish to put the English side ahead.
Rayan Ait-Nouri added a third in injury time, securing victory after racing on to a through ball from Divin Mubama. The defender struck a low, powerful effort into the bottom corner.
More than 50,000 supporters watched the game at Seoul World Cup Stadium, with the biggest reception of the afternoon reserved for Atletico’s South Korea international Lee Kang-in when he came on in the second half.
Lee had the opportunity to level the score at 2-2 after finding space near the penalty spot, but his first-time attempt went narrowly wide of the post.
The match was Manchester City’s third and final fixture of their pre-season tour in Asia. They began the trip with a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in Hong Kong on 1 August, before losing 3-1 on penalties. City then defeated a K League All-Stars side 3-1 in Seoul on Wednesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side will return to action on Sunday, 16 August, when they face reigning Premier League champions Arsenal in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The fixture will be an important opportunity for Enzo Maresca to give competitive minutes to players who were involved in the later stages of the World Cup. Erling Haaland, Rodri, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly and Elliot Anderson were among those who did not travel to Asia.
Manchester City, who beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final in May, will therefore use the Community Shield as their next step towards the new season. Their victory over Atletico ended their Asian schedule with an encouraging comeback, as Semenyo and Marmoush combined twice before Ait-Nouri completed the scoring late on.
