Manchester City rallies past Atlético Madrid 3-1 in Seoul friendly

Manchester City scored three second-half goals to beat Atlético Madrid 3-1 on Sunday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, closing its 2026 Asia Tour with a comeback victory before an official crowd of 50,078.

Atlético led at halftime after 16-year-old Jorge Domínguez scored in the 43rd minute. Manchester City responded with two goals from Omar Marmoush in the 57th and 59th minutes, both created by Antoine Semenyo. Rayan Aït-Nouri added the final goal in the 90th minute.

The match was a preseason friendly in the Coupang Play Series and served as Manchester City’s last exhibition before the Community Shield against Arsenal in Cardiff. For Atlético, it was another step in preparations for the Spanish season and an opportunity to introduce newly signed South Korea international Kang In Lee.

City had the larger share of attacking pressure during portions of the first half, but Atlético was the team to score first. Domínguez’s goal shortly before the break gave Diego Simeone’s side a 1-0 advantage and placed the teenager at the center of the match.

Simeone later praised Domínguez’s development while stressing the need to manage a 16-year-old player carefully. The goal was one of Atlético’s clearest positives despite the final result.

City changed the game shortly after halftime. In the 57th minute, Semenyo set up Marmoush for the equalizer. The same two players combined again two minutes later, giving City a 2-1 lead before Atlético had time to settle after conceding.

Semenyo’s two assists continued a productive preseason tour. Manchester City said he finished the three-game trip through Hong Kong and South Korea with four assists. Manager Enzo Maresca also highlighted the effectiveness of his wide players after the match.

Atlético made extensive second-half substitutions, including the introduction of Kang. The club signed him from Paris Saint-Germain on a contract through June 30, 2031 and announced him as its new No. 7.

His debut carried unusual local significance because it came in South Korea. Kang entered after the hour and came close to producing an equalizer, drawing a strong response from a crowd that had come to see two European clubs but also had a direct national connection to one of Atlético’s newest players.

Simeone said after the game that Kang will need time to adapt to Atlético’s playing style. The coach has options for using him in more than one attacking position, but the Seoul appearance was an introduction rather than a definitive indication of his eventual role.

The score remained 2-1 until the final minute. Aït-Nouri, who had come on as a substitute, scored City’s third and closed the match at 3-1.

Manchester City and Atlético have recent history in Seoul. The clubs met at the same stadium in the 2023 Coupang Play Series, when Atlético won 2-1. Manchester City listed the attendance for that earlier meeting at 64,165.

The 2026 rematch again attracted a large crowd and included entertainment programming around the game. City’s official report said K-pop artist San performed before kickoff and Rescene performed at halftime.

Such events have become a regular part of major European clubs’ international preseason schedules. They allow teams to train and compete while meeting supporters in markets that rarely host them during the regular European season. The competitive value remains limited by heavy substitutions and uneven fitness, but the level of opposition can still provide meaningful preparation.

For City, the next match creates a clear deadline. The Community Shield against Arsenal is the first immediate test after the tour, and Maresca said the preseason phase was now over. The rapid combination between Semenyo and Marmoush therefore arrives at a useful time.

Marmoush’s brace demonstrated sharp finishing, while Semenyo’s four-assist tour suggests a consistent ability to create chances. Aït-Nouri’s goal added a contribution from the bench, another positive for a squad moving toward competitive fixtures.

Atlético’s priorities are less tied to the final score. Domínguez gained senior-level experience and scored against elite opposition. Kang completed his first minutes for the club in a high-attention environment. Simeone also had a demanding opponent against which to assess a team still working through different levels of preseason readiness.

The 3-1 result belongs to Manchester City, but both teams left Seoul with information more valuable than a friendly-season record. City saw an attacking partnership change a game in two minutes. Atlético saw a 16-year-old score and a major new signing begin his adaptation.

Those details will be tested under more demanding conditions soon. For City, that begins in Cardiff. For Atlético, the task is to turn promising individual moments into a more stable team performance as the competitive season approaches.

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