Manchester City concluded their pre-season with a 3-0 victory over Palermo, a Serie B team. Tijjani Reijnders made a significant impact by scoring twice
after coming on at half-time. He nearly secured a hat-trick but stumbled after bypassing goalkeeper Alfred Gomis in the final moments. Before Reijnders' entry, Rayan Cherki was prominent, though his effort was blocked by Salim Diakite after Erling Haaland had given City the lead from Rico Lewis's pass.
Reijnders, who joined City before the Club World Cup, replaced Nico O'Reilly as one of ten half-time substitutes. His first goal came from the right side of the area just before the hour mark. Later, he scored again following Divine Mukasa's clever assist eight minutes from time. Despite missing out on a hat-trick, Reijnders' performance was promising ahead of City's Premier League opener against Wolves.
James Trafford started in goal instead of Ederson and faced challenges in the first half as City's defence appeared unstable. However, they improved significantly after Reijnders' introduction. The Dutch midfielder is expected to play regularly early in the season due to Rodri's injury and Mateo Kovacic's uncertain return timeline.
Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne showcased his skills for Napoli in their 3-2 friendly win over Girona. Within 23 minutes, he scored twice and assisted Giovanni Di Lorenzo for Napoli's opening goal. Cristhian Stuani responded with two goals for Girona before half-time, but Napoli maintained their lead in a quieter second half.
More minutes in the legs. Happy to score my first goal for the club pic.twitter.com/wQTBoi56Qw
- Kevin De Bruyne (@KevinDeBruyne) August 9, 2025
Aston Villa Faces Defeat at Marseille
In another match, Aston Villa continued their pre-season with a 3-1 loss to Marseille. Mason Greenwood and John McGinn exchanged goals before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came off the bench to score twice for Marseille. Aston Villa will face Villarreal in their final friendly on Sunday.
Reijnders' brief appearance was impactful as he led all players with four shots on target and three big chances created. He also had seven touches in Palermo's penalty area and an expected goals value of 1.13 xG. Cherki excelled with 70 touches and completed 51 out of 61 passes, including 29 in the final third.
City's new signings have shown promise ahead of the upcoming season. With key players sidelined due to injuries, Reijnders and Cherki are likely to play crucial roles as City aims for success both domestically and internationally this season.
