Manchester City 3-4 Al-Hilal: Premier League side dumped out in round of 16 as Al-Hilal make Club World Cup statement
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal produced a stunning 4-3 upset over Manchester City in Orlando, knocking out the European champions in extra-time and booking a place in the quarter-finals against Brazil’s Fluminense.
Few gave Simone Inzaghi’s team more than a puncher’s chance against Pep Guardiola’s side. But Al-Hilal matched City stride for stride across 90 minutes, before finally toppling them thanks to Marcos Leonardo’s 112th-minute winner, his second goal of a chaotic, emotional night.
“”We knew it was a difficult game against one of the best teams in the world,” said Al-Hilal’s Kalidou Koulibaly after the game. “We wanted to show our ideas, our talent, our power and I think that we made a very good game.”
City opened the scoring early, as Bernardo Silva capitalised on a scramble in the box, bundling the ball home inside ten minutes, although there was an argument for a handball in the buildup.
But despite City’s promising start, Al-Hilal responded with intensity and a sense of purpose. Seconds after the second-half restart, Joao Cancelo’s low cross led to chaos in a penalty box once more. Ederson had blocked the initial danger but Leonardo was on hand to put away the rebound.
Moments later, right winger Malcom ran ahead of the high City line from his own half. The Premier League side were made to hold their breath as the Brazilian ran half the length of the pitch before calmly slotting a finish past Ederson to give Al-Hilal the lead and send their fans into delirium.
City responded quickly enough when Erling Haaland reacted quickest to finish off a half-chance from Silva’s corner and restore parity on 55 minutes, but the game had become highly unstable at that point, threatening to swing either way. City had a host of chances but Al-Hilal’s Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou produced save after save to keep Pep Guardiola’s side at bay as the match veered toward extra time.
The match swung in Al-Hilal’s favour early in the added period when Koulibaly’s glancing header made it 3-2, and the upset seemed close. But Phil Foden soon struck in the box, courtesy of a fine assist from substitute Rayan Cherki, to level things again.
But in the 112th minute, the pendulum swung for the last time. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic forced a diving save from Ederson, but the rebound fell to Leonardo, who reacted fast and poked home the decisive strike.
