Omar Marmoush struck twice in quick succession as Manchester City overturned a half-time deficit to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in their final match of their pre-season tour of Asia.
City trailed at the break at the Seoul World Cup Stadium after Atletico capitalised on a defensive mistake shortly before half-time. Koke’s corner was not properly cleared, allowing Morten Hjulmand to create an opening for 16-year-old Jorge Dominguez, who finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma to give the Spanish side the lead.
Manchester City responded strongly after the interval, with Antoine Semenyo playing a decisive role in turning the game around.
The equaliser arrived in the 57th minute after Semenyo kept the ball in play with a sliding intervention before driving down the left side of the penalty area. His low delivery found Marmoush, who converted from close range.
The same combination struck again only two minutes later. Semenyo once more attacked from the left and sent a low cross into the middle, where Marmoush produced another composed finish to put City 2-1 ahead.
More than 50,000 spectators attended the friendly in Seoul, with Atletico’s South Korean international Lee Kang-in receiving a particularly enthusiastic reception when he entered during the second half.
Lee almost rewarded the home crowd with an equaliser after finding space near the penalty spot, but his first-time attempt went narrowly wide.
City eventually secured the victory in stoppage time. Divin Mubama released Rayan Ait-Nouri with a through ball, and the defender raced forward before driving a low finish into the bottom corner to complete the 3-1 win.
The result concluded City’s three-match Asian pre-season schedule. They began the tour with a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan in Hong Kong before losing 3-1 in the subsequent penalty shootout. City then moved to Seoul, where they defeated a K League All-Stars side 3-1 before recording the same scoreline against Atletico.
Attention now turns to the Community Shield on Sunday, 16 August, when City face reigning Premier League champions Arsenal at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
The fixture will provide Enzo Maresca with an opportunity to reintegrate several players who were absent from the Asian tour following their involvement in the latter stages of the World Cup. Erling Haaland, Rodri, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly and Elliot Anderson were among those who remained behind.
City enter the traditional season curtain-raiser as FA Cup holders after defeating Chelsea 1-0 in the final in May.