Manchester City knocked out of CWC as Al Hilal snatch 4-3 win

Qatar Tribune

01-07-2025

PA Media/dpa
London
Manchester City crashed out of the Club World Cup as Al Hilal snatched a stunning 4-3 victory in extra time of a pulsating last-16 clash in Orlando, Florida.
Marcos Leonardo grabbed his second goal with 112 minutes on the clock as the Saudi Arabian side produced a major upset.
Bernardo Silva gave City a ninth-minute lead but Pep Guardiola's side were punished for missing a series of chances as Leonardo and Malcom replied after the break.
Erling Haaland sent the game to extra time but City needed another equalizer from Phil Foden after Kalidou Koulibaly headed Al Hilal back ahead.
City, who were caught repeatedly on the break, were undone again as Leonardo had the final say and the Saudi side will now play Fluminense for a place in the semi-finals.
Guardiola, having taken the competition seriously, will rue a wasteful first-half display.
His side started quickly with Ruben Dias heading straight at Yassine Bounou.
The opening goal soon came, although it proved highly controversial with complaints of handball against Rayan Ait-Nouri and Ilkay Gundogan.
Tijjani Reijnders cleverly played in Ait-Nouri but the ball appeared to brush the Algerian's hand before he crossed. It then took two ricochets, the second off the shoulder of Gundogan, before Silva poked past Bounou.
Al Hilal players surrounded referee Jesus Valenzuela but the Venezuelan was unmoved.
City should have extended their lead before half-time but Bounou denied Savinho, Gundogan, Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku.
Silva had a shot parried but, after riding their luck, Al Hilal went close through Leonardo and Malcom.
City failed to heed those warnings and were punished as Al Hilal struck twice in the first seven minutes of the second half.
The equalizer came as former City full-back João Cancelo drove in a low cross. Ederson pushed away and Malcom's attempt on the rebound was blocked but the ball looped up for Leonardo to head in.
City were stung again moments later as Al Hilal quickly recycled the ball from a corner they were defending.
Malcom broke from halfway and buried a low shot into the far corner.
City needed to respond and did so as a Silva corner led to a goalmouth scramble.
Haaland pounced from close range to level but, far from settling nerves, the Premier League side remained vulnerable.
Malcom was brought down by Dias for what seemed a certain penalty only for an offside flag to spare City. It also took a good recovery tackle by Manuel Akanji to prevent Malcom getting in another shot and Mohamed Kanno fluffed a free header.
City were inches away as Akanji headed against the post and Haaland's follow-up was cleared off the line.
Both sides had further attacks and Doku was pulled back seconds before the final whistle was blown. Guardiola raced onto the field to complain but the game was heading to extra time.
City, who lost Haaland to injury, were stunned when Al Hilal reclaimed the lead with Koulibaly's powerful header.
Yet the drama was far from over as Foden, having come off the bench to replace another substitute in the ineffective Rodri, exquisitely volleyed in from a Rayan Cherki cross.
Al Hilal refused to lie down and scored yet again as Leonardo pounced to settle the contest after Ederson had pushed away a header from Sergej Milinkovic-Savie.