Manchester City continued their impressive pre-season preparations with a convincing 3-1 victory over the K-League All-Star team in an entertaining friendly on Wednesday.

Enzo Maresca side made a fast start and opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Rayan Aït-Nouri, who finished confidently to give the Premier League champions an early advantage.

The hosts responded almost immediately, with Dae-Won Kim finding the net three minutes later after being set up by Jeong-Won Eo to level the contest.

The equaliser briefly lifted the K-League All-Star side, but City quickly regained control of the match. Tijjani Reijnders restored the visitors’ lead in the 20th minute after receiving an assist from Antoine Semenyo, before Divin Mubama added a third just three minutes later to put City firmly in command.

Both managers made sweeping changes after the break, giving numerous players valuable minutes ahead of the new season.

Manchester City introduced several young talents alongside established first-team players, while the K-League All-Star side also rotated heavily to assess different combinations.

Despite enjoying 47 percent possession, the Korean side found it difficult to break down City’s organised defence.

The English club dominated the attacking statistics, registering 22 shots compared to the hosts’ six, while also completing 92 percent of their passes.

City’s goalkeeper had a relatively quiet outing as the visitors controlled much of the game, forcing the K-League All-Star goalkeeper into a series of important saves to prevent an even heavier defeat.

The result extends Manchester City’s positive pre-season form and offers further encouragement ahead of the new campaign.

Maresca will also be pleased with the contributions of both his experienced players and emerging youngsters, who combined effectively throughout the contest.

Although the K-League All-Star team suffered defeat, they showed moments of quality, particularly with their early equaliser, and provided a competitive test against one of Europe’s elite clubs.

The friendly also gave supporters an opportunity to watch top-level international talent in action before the start of the domestic season.