ORLANDO, Fla. — Al Hilal caused the biggest shock of the FIFA Club World Cup so far as they dumped out Manchester City on a dramatic night in Orlando.
The Saudi Pro League side won 4-3 in extra time at Camping World Stadium to eliminate one of the pre-tournament favourites and set up a quarterfinal tie with Fluminense on Friday.
City looked to be strolling through after a first half in which they created an opportunity to score with almost every attack. But the game flipped on its head in the second half and Al Hilal, missing key players Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic through injury, eventually prevailed in a rollercoaster game thanks to Marcos Leonardo’s 112th-minute winner.
Al Hilal came to the U.S. to make a statement that their huge investment thanks to financial backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is setting the club on a course to be able to match Europe’s heavyweights. A 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in their opening game was just a warm-up compared to a seismic result against City.
City boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, was left to contemplate what might have been. It was an expensive defeat, costing the Premier League giants the chance to increase the £37.8 million prize money that they had already won to more than £90m had they lifted the trophy.
“It is a pity,” said Guardiola post-match. “The vibe was really good. I cannot thank Manchester City enough and especially the players for training and how they have been playing. The margins are minimal.
“We would have loved to have continued, only here once every four years. We had a feeling that the team is doing well, but we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season.”
FIFA will consider it the perfect advertisement for their new expanded Club World Cup. Two big teams from different federations going head-to-head. Goals, chances, drama and excitement. Fans of both clubs in a (relatively) full stadium and no thunderstorms. The governing body could not have asked for much more.
Guardiola will not have the same view.
City dominated the first 45 minutes, and they could have had five or six before half-time. Rúben Dias, Savinho, Ilkay Gündogan, Josko Gvardiol and Jérémy Doku all had chances of varying difficulty.
Al-Za’eem goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, once of Sevilla, played his part with a series of saves. One which saw him scramble across the floor to deny Savinho was particularly impressive. Only Bernardo Silva found a way past Bounou in the first half after the ball ricocheted around the penalty area to leave the Moroccan on the floor. Al Hilal wanted Rayan Aït-Nouri penalised for a potential handball in the build up, but the goal stood.
At half-time City looked to be cruising into the last eight. And for the first 10 minutes of the second half they played like they were already through.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic said the half-time message from newly installed Al Hilal boss Simone Inzaghi was “to believe,” and they did.
It took just 44 seconds after the restart for the Saudis to equalise. A cross from former City full-back João Cancelo — praised by Guardiola in the build-up to the match — caused chaos in the box and Marcos Leonardo headed in.
It should have been a wake-up call, but it was disregarded. Four minutes later, Aït-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders were asleep on the halfway line as a City corner started to come back the other way. A long ball forward found its way to Malcom, who sprinted clear to score.
Erling Haaland levelled three minutes later, but just seconds after another restart City’s high line was caught out again and a retreating Dias fouled Malcom in the box. Only a later offside flag from the linesman denied Al Hilal a penalty.
The chaos didn’t stop. City played and passed around the Al Hilal penalty area, but looked vulnerable every time the ball was turned over. Nasser Al-Dawsari was only stopped by a last-ditch tackle from Manuel Akanji. Mohamed Kanno should have scored with a header. City almost won it right at the end when Akanji’s header was cleared off the line and Haaland’s follow-up hit the post.
There was no slowing down in extra time. Al Hilal pushed ahead again when former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly beat Ederson with a header.
City levelled when substitutes Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden combined for a sublime goal to make it 3-3. But Al Hilal rallied again and when Milinkovic-Savic — outstanding all evening — headed towards Ederson, Marcos Leonardo was on hand to bundle in the rebound.
In the end, City were made to pay for missed chances and the defensive vulnerability which plagued last season making an untimely return.
“We were so open,” said Guardiola. “When the crosses arrived, in the first action, they had the ability to pass the ball and attack — and they have quick players.
“We created a lot and had a lot of chances against a team that defend so deep. They punished us on the transitions.”
For Al Hilal, there was joy at the result, but also a sense of validation. Players who have moved to Saudi Arabia have often been accused of pursuing money over ambition. Milinkovic-Savic, who left Lazio for Al Hilal in 2023, wasn’t about to miss his chance to bite back.
“Let’s see now if they will criticise us,” he said. “We showed them it’s not like they are speaking about the league. We show against Real Madrid, Salzburg, Pachuca and tonight. I hope we will continue to show it.”
They’ll get their opportunity when they face Fluminense for a place in the last four. For City, attention turns to the Premier League after missing the chance to kick-start Guardiola’s reset with a trophy.
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