Manchester City fell to a 3-2 defeat against AC Milan in a pre-season friendly held at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Erling Haaland gave City the lead with a left-footed shot following a pull-back from Oscar Bobb. However, AC Milan’s Lorenzo Colombo responded with two goals before halftime, putting the Italian side ahead trang cá độ bóng đá uy tín nhất Việt Nam.
City’s James McAtee equalized with a header, but Marco Nasti’s first-time shot from the edge of the box secured the win for AC Milan.
“We were better than in our first game,” said City manager Pep Guardiola, referencing their 4-3 loss to Celtic in their initial pre-season match. “It was a step forward—no injuries, more minutes for our players, and another valuable test. Now, we head to our next game in a few days.”
Buendia makes his return to Villa
Aston Villa also faced defeat on their pre-season tour in the United States, losing 4-1 to Columbus Crew. The match marked the return of midfielder Emi Buendia, who had been out of action since suffering a knee ligament injury last August.
Buendia, along with new signings Amadou Onana and Ian Maatsen, who made their first appearances for Villa, came on in the 63rd minute with the team already trailing 4-1.
“The best news is Emiliano Buendia’s return,” said Villa manager Unai Emery. “After a year out, his comeback is fantastic for us and for the team. We need to work progressively to get the best out of him.”
Cucho Hernandez scored twice for Columbus, with Cameron Archer briefly pulling one back for Villa before Hernandez completed his hat-trick and Dylan Chambost added a fourth for the MLS side.
“While the result is disappointing, it’s not our primary concern right now,” Emery added. “Our main goal is to build a professional team that evaluates the quality of players. Some of them played well despite the loss.”
Lopetegui falls to former team
Julen Lopetegui’s debut as West Ham manager ended in a 3-1 loss to his former team, Wolves, during a pre-season friendly in Jacksonville, Florida.
The match, which faced a delay due to stormy weather, saw Matheus Cunha give Wolves the lead before being forced off with an injury.
Mohammed Kudus leveled the score for West Ham just before half-time, but Rodrigo Gomes scored twice after the break to secure victory for Wolves.
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil commented on Cunha’s injury: “He felt a slight pain behind his knee. It’s disappointing, especially with the delay and the wet pitch. Matheus is crucial for us, but the early signs don’t seem too bad. He won’t be risked again until he’s fully recovered, and I’ll provide an update in the next few days.”
Lopetegui, who took over from David Moyes at West Ham, acknowledged Thập Cẩm TV the need for improvement: “We have a lot of work to do with and without the ball. We need to improve in many areas.”
In other pre-season action, Brighton secured a 4-2 win over Tokyo Verdy at the National Stadium in Japan. Jan Paul van Hecke put Brighton ahead, Yudai Kimura equalized for Tokyo Verdy, but Yankuba Minteh and Simon Adingra restored Brighton’s lead. Naoki Hayashi pulled one back for Tokyo Verdy before Jeremy Sarmiento completed Brighton’s victory.
