Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal pulled off the most significant upset of the Club World Cup thus far on Monday, defeating English football giant Manchester City 4-3 in extra time. This victory was a landmark moment for the competition, securing Al-Hilal`s place as the last remaining team from outside Europe or South America.
Manchester City initially took control, opening the scoring through Bernardo Silva just nine minutes into the match. However, the goal was not without controversy, as Al-Hilal players protested a potential handball involving Ilkay Gundogan in the crowded penalty area before the ball fell to Silva, who finished from close range. Despite heated on-field discussions, the goal was ultimately allowed to stand.
City maintained dominance throughout the first half, constantly pressuring a more defensively oriented Al-Hilal. They registered nine shots, seven of which were on target, accumulating an expected goals tally of 2.08. Yet, Al-Hilal`s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, was in superb form, making six crucial saves before the halftime whistle to keep his team in the game.
The second half saw a shift in momentum. Al-Hilal found an equalizer within a minute of the restart courtesy of Marcos Leonardo. Following a cross into the box by Joao Cancelo, City goalkeeper Ederson managed a touch, but the ball bounced around before landing near Leonardo. His relatively soft header somehow evaded Ederson and found the back of the net.
Just six minutes later, Al-Hilal took the lead for the first time. A swift counter-attack saw Cancelo play the ball to Malcom, who embarked on a long run before striking a shot from distance that beat the goalkeeper.
Al-Hilal`s lead was short-lived, as Erling Haaland quickly responded for City, leveling the scoreline just three minutes later. From a corner kick, the ball didn`t immediately reach Haaland, but the Norwegian striker reacted well amidst the penalty area chaos, managing to get a close-range finish to tie the match at 2-2.
With regulation time ending level, the match proceeded to a dramatic extra 30 minutes. Al-Hilal struck first again in the 94th minute when Kalidou Koulibaly headed home from a corner, putting his side up 3-2. The back-and-forth nature of the game continued as City equalized once more ten minutes later, substitute Phil Foden coolly finishing a brilliant cross into the box from Rayan Cherki.
The decisive seventh goal arrived with eight minutes left in extra time, scored by Leonardo, though it appeared somewhat fortunate. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic`s header was saved by Ederson, but the rebound fell back into the path of Leonardo. Even as he was falling, Leonardo made contact with the ball, diverting it past the helpless Ederson and into the net for the winning goal.
Despite dominating the statistics with 30 shots to Al-Hilal`s 17, including 14 on target and expected goals of 4.21 compared to 3.16, City was ultimately undone by Al-Hilal`s resilient defense and the exceptional performance of goalkeeper Bounou, who made a total of 11 saves. City`s loss means they finish the season without a trophy, the first time this has happened since Pep Guardiola`s inaugural season in charge in 2016.
For Al-Hilal, this victory represents a significant milestone for Saudi Arabian club football, following substantial investment from the Public Investment Fund. Their success, including appointing manager Simone Inzaghi shortly before the tournament, sees them overcome a European champion coached by Guardiola, two years after Inzaghi`s Inter side lost to City in the UEFA Champions League final.
Following this stunning semi-final triumph, Al-Hilal will advance to the Club World Cup final to face Fluminense, who secured their place by defeating Inter in the other semi-final match.
