Marmoush double sends Manchester City past Atlético in Seoul

Manchester City finished their Asian pre-season programme with a comeback victory in Seoul, beating Atlético Madrid 3-1 after Omar Marmoush turned the match with two goals in two second-half minutes.

The result was comfortable by the final whistle, but the route there was not. Atlético reached half-time in front after 16-year-old Jorge Domínguez scored in the 43rd minute, a significant moment for a teenager trying to establish himself around Diego Simeone’s senior squad.

City had created pressure without finding a finish before the break. The balance changed in the 57th minute when Marmoush equalised from an Antoine Semenyo assist. Two minutes later the same partnership struck again, with Semenyo creating and Marmoush finishing to put City 2-1 ahead.

That sudden reversal was the defining passage of the evening. Pre-season matches are often fragmented by substitutions and uneven levels of fitness, but elite forwards are still judged by what they do when a brief opening appears. Marmoush needed only a short window to change the entire mood of the game.

Semenyo’s role deserves equal attention. Manchester City credited him with four assists across the club’s three-match tour of Hong Kong and South Korea. Two of those came against Atlético, and both arrived when City required a more decisive final action.

The third goal came much later. Rayan Aït-Nouri, on as a substitute, scored in the 90th minute to complete the 3-1 win. It was another reminder of the value of a deep squad in a match where both managers were testing combinations rather than protecting a fixed XI for 90 minutes.

Atlético’s evening still contained several useful signs. Domínguez’s first-half goal rewarded an assured contribution from one of the youngest players on the pitch. Simeone later praised the teenager’s progress while warning, sensibly, that a player of his age has to be developed carefully rather than treated as a finished product after one striking pre-season moment.

The louder local story, however, was Kang In Lee. Atlético’s new number seven had only recently joined from Paris Saint-Germain on a contract running to June 2031. His first appearance for the Spanish club came in South Korea, giving the home crowd an immediate connection to a match between two European sides.

Kang entered in the second half and came close to an equaliser before City’s late third goal. It was an introduction rich in symbolism but limited in what it can tell us about his eventual role. Simeone said afterwards that the South Korean needs time to adapt and indicated that his versatility can be used in different attacking positions.

For Atlético, that patience will be important. A new signing arriving from a different team, into a demanding tactical culture and late in the summer schedule, cannot be judged on half an hour of a friendly. What Seoul did provide was a first look at how his technique and movement might add another option to Simeone’s attack.

For City, the timing is different. The Asia Tour is over, and Enzo Maresca’s team now move directly towards competitive football. The next fixture is the Community Shield against Arsenal in Cardiff. That turns the Atlético game into a final rehearsal rather than another early-summer experiment.

Maresca’s reaction reflected that shift. He treated the contest as a valuable test and made clear that the period of pre-season evaluation was ending. From this point, good combinations need to become repeatable competitive habits.

There was also a substantial event around the football itself. The official attendance at Seoul World Cup Stadium was 50,078. The two clubs have recent history at the same venue: Atlético beat City there 2-1 in the 2023 Coupang Play Series, before a crowd City listed at 64,165.

That history gave the rematch a little more shape than a routine exhibition. Atlético arrived with a previous Seoul victory over City; City left this time with a comeback, three goals and the confidence of having responded strongly after falling behind.

Still, the most valuable pre-season conclusions are rarely the dramatic ones. City did not prove they are ready for every challenge because they scored three in a friendly. Atlético did not reveal a structural weakness because a two-minute spell changed the match. The useful information is smaller: Marmoush looked sharp in front of goal, Semenyo kept creating, Aït-Nouri contributed from the bench, Domínguez handled a major stage, and Kang began the process of learning a new team.

Those are the details that can survive after the scoreline fades. City now have to carry them into the Community Shield. Atlético have to turn theirs into progress before domestic competition begins. Seoul offered both clubs a final public test — and City took the result.