'It's been a long time since we played like this'

Erling Haaland surpasses Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe with 300 goals.

The Club World Cup may have been a little tepid in parts of the group stage, but Manchester City did their best to reignite their interest with a win over Juventus on Thursday.

City's brilliant performance, despite the sweltering Orlando heat, saw them top the points table with a 5-2 win over their Italian opponents, and they have an unassailable record in Group G.

Pep Guardiola's side dominated the competition from start to finish, defying rain in the first half to leave their mark on the tournament.

The Spaniard sees the competition as the start of a new season rather than a continuation of a disappointing previous season and has been impressed with what he has seen from his players.

"I like the way we did it," Guardiola told Dajan. "It's been a long time since we've been able to perform like this on and off the ball. The players were committed, and we're happy to beat the top team."

"It's just one game, but I think the players have experienced once again what it feels like to be a good team. Confidence always comes from your performance, not from your past."

'City rocked the tournament with their performance'

For the first time in eight seasons, City finished without a major trophy last season and finished third in the Premier League after winning four consecutive titles.

But on Thursday, with 76% possession, 24 shots on five, and 738 passes in 219, City defeated the 36-time Serie A champions in a performance that will have the rest of the team's eyes on them.

City needed a win to go top and they made no mistake, avoiding draws with Paris-Saint Germain and Bayern Munich.

They face Al-Hilal in the last 16 in Orlando, Florida on Monday (Tuesday 02:00 BST), as Saudi Arabia finished second in Group H.

"I think City shook up the tournament tonight," said the club's former goalkeeper Shai Given. "People will come up and think 'Wow, these [players] are the real deal again.'"

"I think they will be strong again." Guardiola added: "We were very aggressive without the ball. Ederson played an incredible long ball to Erling [Haaland]. The most important thing today is that we can feel it again."

"The players thought we could compete like this. Last season it wasn't possible for one reason: we didn't have the players. We have been a step up in rhythm from day one, and the training has been incredible."

"That's the only way to survive - win or lose. A few years ago, nobody could have imagined Man City in the Club World Cup. We are facing new teams and it's an honour. We want to stay here."

'One of the best in the world' - Rodri is back

The sight of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri in the squad will have Juventus in a bit of a mental slump ahead of kick-off - it was Rodri's first start since suffering a serious knee injury against Arsenal nine months ago.

The Spaniard spent 65 minutes showing why he is such an integral part of this City team, demonstrating his confidence with a metronomic performance in the middle of the park, completing 67 passes in total.

When he left the field, only defender Ruben Dias (84) had touched the ball more than Rodri's 79, highlighting the importance of controlling the game.

"Everyone knows how important Rodri is," Guardiola said. "He is one of the best players in the world. I am happy that he played well for 60 minutes, and he can help us a lot."

"Last season, we couldn't do that because of injuries. This season, we can keep the players fit and try to perform like we did today."

Guardiola said last season's long injury list had collapsed, but his team were almost fully fit against Juve, apart from the injured Claudio Echeverri.

Jeremy Doku, Savinho, and Phil Foden were all on the scoresheet as City scored 13 goals in their three group stage games.

"Man City's forward play and goal scoring is phenomenal," Given said. "When they won four titles in a row, we thought they were robots."

"Pep also mentioned 'we've got our mojo back'. We've got Man City back, which we all thought was automatic."

"It shows us that they are only human."

Guardiola praises Haaland

Haaland also scored a historic goal in the match, his 300th top-flight goal for club and country.

The 24-year-old was sidelined for some time last season through injury but has now scored five goals in his last six games.

In total, he has scored 258 times for the clubs he has played for - 42 for Norway.

"Congratulations on 300 goals," said Guardiola, who has won 11 games as a manager in the competition. "At 24, it's a good achievement."

"His manager was a fantastic footballer - he scored 11 goals in 11 years. Imagine that situation, so I have a lot of respect for him and I'm happy for him."

There is no doubt that Haaland's goals, and Rodri's constant influence in midfield, are both crucial to City's success - but Guardiola is the most important player in his team.

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