Manchester City experienced a 3-2 defeat against AC Milan during a pre-season friendly at the Yankee Stadium in New York. Despite taking an early lead, City couldn’t hold off the Italian side’s comeback.
Erling Haaland initially put Manchester City ahead with a precise left-foot shot following an assist from Oscar Bobb. However, Lorenzo Colombo quickly leveled the score for AC Milan and then added a second goal, giving the Italians a 2-1 advantage at halftime.
City managed to equalize through James McAtee, who headed in a goal to make it 2-2. But AC Milan secured the win with Marco Nasti’s first-time shot from the edge of the box, sealing a 3-2 victory. Reflecting on the match, City manager Pep Guardiola noted the improvement from their previous 4-3 loss to Celtic and emphasized the importance of gaining match fitness and avoiding injuries.
Aston Villa and West Ham also suffer defeats
Aston Villa faced a challenging match against Columbus Crew, resulting in a 4-1 defeat. Midfielder Emi Buendia made a notable return from a long-term knee injury, coming on as a substitute alongside new signings Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen. Despite the loss, Villa boss Unai Emery highlighted Buendia’s successful comeback after a year-long absence due to a knee ligament injury.
Cucho Hernandez was the standout performer for Columbus Crew, scoring twice before Cameron Archer netted a consolation goal for Villa. Hernandez completed his hat-trick, and Dylan Chambost added a fourth for the MLS side. Emery emphasized the importance of building the team and assessing player performances over the pre-season results.
Meanwhile, West Ham, under new manager Julen Lopetegui, suffered a 3-1 defeat against Wolves in Jacksonville, Florida. The match was delayed due to stormy weather, but Matheus Cunha managed to put Wolves ahead before leaving the field with a knee injury. Mohammed Kudus equalized for West Ham just before halftime, but Rodrigo Gomes’ two goals after the break secured the win for Wolves. West Ham’s Lopetegui acknowledged the need for improvement in various aspects of their game.
Brighton triumph over Tokyo Verdy in Japan
Brighton secured a 4-2 victory against Tokyo Verdy at the National Stadium in Japan. Jan Paul van Hecke opened the scoring for Brighton, and despite an equalizer from Yudai Kimura, the Seagulls regained the lead through summer signing Yankuba Minteh. Simon Adingra extended Brighton’s advantage, and after Naoki Hayashi scored for Tokyo Verdy, Jeremy Sarmiento capped off the win for Brighton.
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