Manchester City picked up a 3-0 victory over Palermo in their final pre-season outing, with Tijjani Reijnders netting twice after Erling Haaland’s early opener.
The visitors settled quickly in Sicily and took control of proceedings from the outset.
Palermo had the first sniff of goal in the third minute when Pietro Ceccaroni headed just wide following a corner from Tommaso Augello, but that would prove one of their few real openings.
City struck first on 25 minutes, and it was a familiar name on the scoresheet. Erling Haaland received a pass from Rico Lewis inside the box and calmly slotted a right-footed effort into the bottom left corner.
Palermo responded with Filippo Ranocchia forcing James Trafford into a fine save from close range shortly after the opener.
City’s midfield dominated possession, and chances followed. Rayan Ait-Nouri and John Stones both saw efforts blocked inside the area before half-time, while Rayan Cherki was also denied as Palermo threw bodies on the line.
The second half began with wholesale changes from City,with Pep Guardiola introducing a fresh XI, including Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Reijnders. The shake-up paid dividends almost instantly.
In the 59th minute, Savinho skipped past his marker on the right and pulled the ball back for Reijnders, who found space in the middle and swept a right-footed strike into the bottom left corner to double City’s advantage.
Palermo rang the changes themselves, bringing on a host of substitutes in search of a response. They had moments of promise, with Jeremy Le Douaron flashing a shot wide on the counter in the 78th minute.
City remained dangerous in attack. Savinho almost grabbed a goal of his own, shooting narrowly wide after being played through by Gundogan.
The third goal arrived in the 82nd minute and sealed the contest. Once again, it was Reijnders in the right place at the right time. Divine Mukasa slipped him through in the centre of the box, and the Dutchman calmly guided his finish past Alfred Gomis into the bottom corner.
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2025-08-09 23:17:07
