Saudi Powerhouse Al-Hilal eliminated title holders Manchester City from the FIFA Club World Cup, winning a thrilling last-16 clash which finished 4-3 after extra time in Orlando’s Camping World Stadium on Tuesday.
Manchester City started strong with an early goal by Bernardo Silva, but Al-Hilal’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bono, made several saves to keep the deficit at one. A VAR check for handball against the German was quickly dismissed, but the replay being displayed on the big screen sparked vociferous protests from the Al-Hilal players that saw the restart delayed.
Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi’s side attempted to channel that sense of injustice into an instant response, but despite some tidy passages of play, Ederson remained untroubled as his side failed to register a shot on target before the break.
Conversely, Yassine Bono made save after save to deny the City onslaught for a second goal. Erling Haaland saw his header tipped over the bar, while sharp reflex saves denied Savinho and Jeremy Doku to keep Al-Hilal’s deficit at one heading into the break.
Al-Hilal’s Remarkable Comeback
Al-Hilal staged a remarkable turnaround to flip the game on its head within seven minutes of the restart. First, Marcos Leonardo scrambled an equaliser after City failed to deal with a cross from the right wing, before Malcom was slotted through and sprinted from his own half to slot past Ederson and give the Saudi side the lead.
Their jubilation lasted all of three minutes, though, as Haaland slammed an equaliser home on 55 minutes after Inzaghi’s men failed to clear a corner. The chaotic nature of the contest continued as Malcolm thought he had won a penalty in the immediate aftermath of the game’s fourth goal, only to be denied by a marginal offside in the build-up.
With the players noticeably tiring, the tempo of the game dropped, and extra time was inevitable after Ali Lajami produced an outstanding goalline clearance to deny Haaland a late winner.
Leonardo Seals the Win
Al-Hilal players had looked exhausted at the end of regulation time, but they started extra time in perfect fashion when Ruben Neves’ pinpoint corner was brilliantly headed past the helpless Ederson by Kalidou Koulibaly. Guardiola responded with the introduction of Phil Foden, and it immediately paid off when he produced an outstanding first-time finish to make it 3-3 from Rayan Cherki’s stunning cross.
With both sides physically flagging, Al-Hilal landed the knockout blow in the 113th minute. Ederson produced an outstanding one-handed save to deny Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, but he could only push the ball into the path of However, Leonardo, who almost fell into the net with the ball to put his side into the quarter-finals where they will face Brazilian side Fluminense.
