Man City 3-1 Atletico Madrid: Antoine Semenyo twice sets up Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait Nouri adds another for Enzo Maresca's side in Seoul
Antoine Semenyo produced two quickfire second-half assists for Omar Marmoush to tap in and Rayan Ait Nouri added a late third as Man City came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid; LaLiga side had led against the run of play when 16-year-old Jorge Dominguez poked in from close range
Sunday 9 August 2026 15:22, UK
Man City impressed in a 3-1 friendly win over Atletico Madrid in Seoul, with Enzo Maresca's tactical ideas beginning to take hold.
The plan to get the ball to wingers Savinho and Antoine Semenyo was clear, with the pair taking on their markers and charging for the Atletico box at every opportunity. They were both electric but it was Semenyo who finally delivered the end product, twice setting up Omar Marmoush for close-range finishes in quick succession in the second half.
Semenyo's first assist was magnificent, with the left winger sliding to stop the ball going out for a throw, bouncing up and beating his man in one motion before driving into the area to pick out his striker.
City were trailing to Jorge Dominguez's opener at that point. The Atletico Madrid wonderkid - just 16 years old - poked in after Morten Hjulmand kept a half-cleared corner alive just before half-time. But that goal was against the run of play in an opening period where City created a string of chances.
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Tijjani Reijnders was another impressive performer, dovetailing well with Mateo Kovacic in midfield. Wholesale changes from Atletico midway through the second period changed the pattern of the match but City sealed their deserved victory in added time when sub Rayan Ait Nouri made up for a one-on-one miss seconds earlier with a good finish from Divin Mubama's pass.
City have also drawn with Inter Milan and beaten a K-League All Stars side during this tour of Asia and they return to the UK for next weekend's Community Shield in Cardiff looking in good shape for the season curtain-raiser.
The key moments from Seoul...
2: CHANCE! Dani Martinez makes a mess of a back pass and Tijjani Reijnders pounces but his prodded shot is deflected to safety by Jan Oblak.
19: MISS! Josko Gvardiol somehow fails to score at the back post from a corner, heading wide from close range.
24: CLOSE! Savinho cuts in from the right wing to send a left-foot curler just beyond the far post.
35: GREAT RUNS! Antoine Semenyo and then Savinho show off their direct dribbling skills, bursting into the Atleti box but their cutbacks are cutout.
43: GOAL! A corner is half-cleared to the edge of the box. Morten Hjulmand keeps it alive and prods the ball through for Jorge Dominguez to poke in the opener.
53: CHANCE! Mateo Kovacic is caught on the ball by Koke who feeds Obed Vargas - but his shot is fielded by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
57: GOAL! Brilliant from Antoine Semenyo, who slides to stop the ball going out for a throw, beats his man and then crosses for Omar Marmoush to tuck in from close range.
59: GOAL! It's copy and paste, with Semenyo running onto a pass from Gvardiol before finding Marmoush in the six-yard box again for another simple finish to flip the scoreline.
64: SUBS! Atletico make NINE changes - including the introduction of Seoul favourie Kang-In Lee.
76: OFF TARGET! Lee meets a cutback in the City box but skies his shot.
79: HUGE CHANCE FOR CITY! But Divin Mubama can't convert his one-on-one. His shot is saved by sub goalkeeper Salvi Esquivel.
89: CHANCE! A great opportunity for Claudio Echeverri at the back post from Phil Foden's cross but he can't keep it down!
90: GOAL! Rayan Ait Nouri seals the win moments after seeing a one-on-one saved. Mubama plays him in again and this time he finds the bottom corner for City's third.
Maresca praises 'open-minded' Man City players
Enzo Maresca has praised his Man City players for being open-minded to his new ideas as successor to Pep Guardiola.
Asked about the tour, which has also seen City draw with Inter Milan and beat an All Stars team, Maresca said: "I'm very happy because the players since I joined the club, they are open-minded, they want to know, they want to do new things.
"We are trying to install new things on the ball and off the ball. So especially these 15 days have been very important to create connections with the players."
On the next challenge, he said: "Tomorrow you start the season. The pre-season is finished. The important thing is no injuries."
On Antoine Semenyo's performance he said: "The first thing I said to him when I joined the club was 'I'm very happy that now you're with us!' Antoine played well but the effort from all the players has been fantastic."
Marmoush pays tribute to Semenyo after his two assists
Man City striker Omar Marmoush thanked Antoine Semenyo for twice setting him up in the friendly win over Atletico Madrid.
"As a striker, goals give you confidence and it gets you going in the flow," he told CityTV. "Semenyo, without him, these goals wouldn't have been possible. I just had to tap it in the net and I'd like to thank him.
"The first half, honestly, I had three or four chances where Semenyo and Savinho dribbled and they played the ball and I wasn't there. So the second half all that was in my head was just to make the runs and be there. They did their job and in the end we won. It was a really, really good feeling."
Analysis: Maresca's tactical ideas take shape
Sky Sports' Peter Smith:
"Enzo Maresca insisted he wasn't going to copy and paste Pep Guardiola's tactics at Man City and that is clear from their latest friendly win over Atletico Madrid. Maresca-ball is taking shape at City - and he's praised his players for embracing it.
"The priority is getting the ball to the City wingers and working space for them to attack. Antoine Semenyo and Savinho recorded 10 take-ons between them in the match and - as Omar Marmoush noted - continually attempted cutbacks into the box looking for him.
"With the full-backs behind them sitting deeper than they used to under Guardiola, there was space to run into - as perfectly demonstrated by Semenyo's two darts down the left before his assists for Marmoush's tap-ins.
"Mateo Kovacic provided the anchor in midfield, Tijjani Reijnders ran forwards from deep and Phil Foden popped up in pockets of space around the edge of the Atletico box.
"Some of the names may change, with players including Erling Haaland and Elliot Anderson linking up with the squad next week, but the patterns of play Maresca is after were on show in Seoul."
Man City's pre-season so far...
August 1: Man City 1-1 Inter Milan (1-3 on pens) - Hong Kong
August 5: K-League All Stars 1-3 Man City - Seoul
August 9: Man City 3-1 Atletico Madrid - Seoul
August 16: Community Shield - Arsenal vs Man City - Cardiff, 3pm
