Manchester City began their Club World Cup title defence with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Morocco's Wydad AC at a humid and sun-soaked Philadelphia stadium.
Phil Foden struck what would become the tournament's fastest-ever goal to set the tone within 90 seconds, before Jeremy Doku doubled the advantage just before the interval with a clever finish from the England international's corner.
Pep Guardiola watched his side dominate the opening period with attacking verve before shifting into cruise control after the break, managing the game professionally despite Rico Lewis seeing red in the dying minutes.
City needed barely two minutes to establish their authority. Doku's cross found its way to Savinho, whose effort was parried by Wydad goalkeeper El Mehdi Benabid, only for the loose ball to fall perfectly for Foden to volley home from close range.
Tijjani Reijnders was impressive on his first start for the club since signing from AC Milan earlier this month, producing an calm, and assured display, particularly in the first half.
Guardiola had selected an adventurous front line and his players responded with purpose. Omar Marmoush came close to a second goal inside ten minutes, dragging a shot inches wide after intricate build-up play involving Savinho and Rayan Cherki.
Such early dominance might have suggested another routing similar to Bayern Munich's recent 10-0 demolition of Auckland City, but Wydad proved more resilient than expected. The Moroccan champions showed their character when left-back Mohamed Moufid audaciously attempted to lob Ederson from the halfway line, forcing the Brazilian to scramble backwards.
City's summer recruitment extended beyond players to include new set-piece specialist James French, and his influence nearly bore fruit when Nathan Ake's header from a corner flashed narrowly wide, leaving Benabid helpless.
Wydad refused to collapse despite the early setback. Vitor Reis made a hash of a clearance, allowing Thembinkosi Lorch to break through, but Ederson stood firm to block Cassius Mailula's follow-up effort. City immediately squandered their own clear chance when Benabid reacted smartly to deny Foden from close quarters.
The second goal arrived with perfect timing on the stroke of half-time. Foden's whipped corner found Doku lurking at the far post, and the Belgian made no mistake with a simple finish.
Doku should have completed his brace moments after the restart when Cherki's pressing forced Abdelmounaim Boutouli into a heavy touch, but the winger's curled effort lacked conviction and Benabid gathered comfortably.
The biggest roar of the afternoon greeted the introductions of Rodri, Oscar Bobb and Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker immediately announced his presence, firing just over the crossbar after clever approach play from Lewis.
The second half understandably lacked the intensity of the first, interrupted only when Wydad supporters lit flares and fireworks in a desperate show of defiance. Play was briefly halted while officials cleared the debris from the pitch.
Drama returned in the closing stages when Lewis received his marching orders for a sliding challenge that caught Samuel Obeng in the face, a very harsh decision.
The dismissal came too late to affect the result. Even when Haaland was denied by Benabid in a late one-on-one, City had already secured the perfect start to their quest to reclaim the trophy they lifted in Saudi Arabia in December 2023.