Manchester City wrapped up their pre-season tour of Asia in style, coming from behind to secure a 3-1 victory over Spanish giants Atletico Madrid at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush delivered a standout performance, scoring a quickfire second-half brace to overturn a half-time deficit under newly appointed manager Enzo Maresca.
The fixture in South Korea saw Atletico Madrid break the deadlock just before the interval. Following a corner kick that Manchester City failed to clear cleanly, midfielder Morten Hjulmand kept the play alive, allowing sixteen-year-old defender Jorge Dominguez to poke home from close range. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous chances through Savinho and Antoine Semenyo in the opening forty-five minutes, City went into the break trailing one-nil.
The second half witnessed an immediate tactical surge from the English side. In the fifty-seventh minute, Antoine Semenyo showed exceptional composure to keep the ball from going out of play on the left flank before driving into the penalty area. His precise low cross was met by Omar Marmoush, who slotted home from close range to equalize. Just two minutes later, the dynamic duo combined again in near-identical fashion, with Semenyo providing another brilliant delivery for Marmoush to convert and complete a rapid turnaround.
Maresca`s tactical setup heavily relied on the pace and width provided by his wingers, with both Semenyo and Savinho causing continuous problems for the Atletico backline. Midfield control was expertly anchored by Mateo Kovačić and Tijjani Reijnders, ensuring City maintained total dominance over the tempo of the match after the restart. Atletico sought to alter the momentum by introducing multiple substitutes after the hour mark, which included the much-anticipated debut of South Korean international Lee Kang-in. While the home crowd roared in approval, Lee missed a golden opportunity from close range to level the score.
Manchester City sealed the win deep into injury time when substitute Rayan Ait-Nouri latched onto a well-weighted through ball from Divin Mubama, driving a low, hard shot past the goalkeeper into the far corner. The result brings a successful close to City`s demanding pre-season travels across the Far East, following a penalty shootout defeat to Inter Milan in Hong Kong and a victory over a K League All-Stars side earlier in the week.
With the Asian tour concluded, attention now turns firmly toward domestic competition. Manchester City will travel back to the United Kingdom to face reigning Premier League champions Arsenal in the upcoming Community Shield fixture at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. What remains unclear is how quickly Maresca can integrate his full squad following international commitments ahead of the new league campaign.
