Manchester City beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in Seoul as Kang-in Lee debuts and 16-year-old Domínguez scores
Manchester City came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 in a pre-season friendly in Seoul, with Omar Marmoush scoring twice in two minutes after 16-year-old Jorge Domínguez had given Atletico the lead.
Match summary
Manchester City concluded their pre-season tour of Asia with a 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid at Seoul's World Cup Stadium, part of the Coupang Play Series. Atletico's 16-year-old defender Jorge Domínguez opened the scoring just before half-time in the 43rd minute, converting a loose ball from a corner with the outside of his right foot past Gianluigi Donnarumma. The teenager, a sensation in pre-season, alternated between centre-back and full-back in Diego Simeone's flexible system.
City turned the match around in two minutes after the break. Omar Marmoush equalised in the 57th minute from an Antoine Semenyo cross, the Ghana winger having slid to keep the ball in play before delivering. Just 129 seconds later, Marmoush struck again from another Semenyo delivery, though replays showed Semenyo was clearly offside in the build-up. Rayan Aït-Nouri added a third in the 90th minute.
- Jorge Domínguez scores from a corner to give Atletico a 0-1 lead
- Omar Marmoush equalises from Antoine Semenyo's cross
- Marmoush scores again from a Semenyo delivery, though Semenyo was offside
- Kang-in Lee makes his Atletico debut from the bench
- Rayan Aït-Nouri scores City's third to seal the 3-1 win
Controversy and Kang-in Lee's debut
Atletico's players were furious with Marmoush's second goal, as big-screen replays confirmed Semenyo had been offside. There was also suspicion surrounding Aït-Nouri's late strike. The officiating did not penalise either incident.
Kang-in Lee, the South Korean midfielder whose signing had generated enormous local interest, made his Atletico debut from the bench in the 64th minute, replacing Rodrigo Mendoza. Playing alongside Arnau Ortiz in attack, Lee nearly equalised at 2-2 but could not find the target. Aït-Nouri's late goal, scored past substitute goalkeeper Salvi Esquivel, who had replaced Jan Oblak, sealed the 3-1 result.
Simeone's experimental side
Simeone fielded a heavily depleted side. Julián Alvarez, Marcos Llorente, Álex Baena, Giuliano Simeone, Grimaldo, Pubill and possibly Sorloth were all unavailable, with the first three set to resume training on Monday. Nahuel Molina is departing for Roma. The tactical setup featured a back five that shifted to a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 in possession, with Domínguez filling the centre-back-full-back hybrid role usually assigned to Llorente.
The Koke-Hjulmand partnership in midfield drew praise, having previously impressed in a closed-door 4-1 win over Getafe. Obed Vargas and Carlos Martín completed the midfield, with Ademola Lookman and Rodrigo Mendoza leading the line.
- Getafe
- 4 goals
- Man United
- 1 goals
- Man City
- 1 goals
City's preparations and what's next
Enzo Maresca, who fielded more recognised starters than Simeone, made only one substitution at half-time, offering a clearer picture of his preferred setup ahead of next weekend's Community Shield. Semenyo emerged as the standout performer of City's Asian tour, having impressed across all three matches against Inter, the K-League All Stars, and Atletico.
City's World Cup participants, including Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku, and England representatives, are due back in training on Wednesday, with an open session scheduled Thursday. Atletico have one final pre-season fixture, against Olympique Marseille at the Velodrome on Friday, before their La Liga campaign opens against Málaga at the Metropolitano on 19 August.
