‘Monster’ Elling Holland (23, Manchester City) gave the Japanese fans a multi-goal display to remember.
Manchester City came from behind to beat J-League side Yokohama Marinos 5-3 in their first pre-season match of the J-League World Tour at the Tokyo National Stadium in Japan on Wednesday. City will face Bayern Munich on June 26 in Tokyo.
It was City’s first official match since the Champions League final against Inter Milan on June 11. Star players were not at full strength after returning from a long vacation. Pep Guardiola dropped key players like Elling Holland, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Rodri to the bench.
Star Jack Grealish led the attack. Calvin Phillips, John Stones, and Kyle Walker started in midfield and defense. City were not at their best after the long break.
It was Yokohama who struck first. In the 27th minute, Brazilian international Andersson Lopes broke down the right flank and fired a right-footed shot from inside the box. After the shot was saved by the goalkeeper, Lopes intercepted the ball again and rattled the net with a left-footed shot. The Yokohama fans went wild. The referee reviewed the offside call via video assistant referee and it stood as the final goal.
A desperate City broke the deadlock in the 40th minute when John Stones finished with his right foot after some fine passing in the box. City’s first goal set off a fireworks display as if it were the Etihad Stadium.
Just three minutes later, City’s pride was rewarded with an equalizer from Argentina’s World Cup winner Julian Alvarez. City went into halftime tied at 2-2.
At the start of the second half, Alvarez was taken off and Holland came on, causing a huge roar throughout the stadium, with many fans cheering for City over J-League side Yokohama. Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and 10 other field players came on as substitutes at once.
Eventually, the monster Holland broke the deadlock. In the seventh minute of the second half, Holland received the ball in the box and, with one defender in front of him, unleashed a diagonal shot with his left foot. The shot went straight into the right-hand post for the winner. It was a monster strike that set a new Premier League goal record.
The second half was a far cry from the first as City attacked with purpose. In the 27th minute of the second half, Rodriguez broke into the center of the box and slotted home the fourth goal with a low shot into the square that the goalkeeper could do nothing about. The Japanese players looked devastated.
After conceding the fourth goal, Yokohama made five substitutions at once to give as many players experience as possible. In the 41st minute of the second half, Kenta Inoue capitalized on a goalkeeping mistake to score the third goal and keep Japan’s pride alive.
Holland didn’t waste the opportunity. In the 47th minute of stoppage time, Holland surged forward in the box and collected a pass from Joao Cancelo to easily complete his multi-goal haul. The goal sealed the 5-3 victory for City.
A record 61,618 fans were in attendance at the Tokyo National Stadium. A full house was in attendance to watch the world’s top club play at a high level.
Holland is coming to Korea, too. City will face Atletico Madrid at the Sangam World Cup Stadium in Seoul on March 30. 안전카지노사이트