In a stunning turn of events at the Club World Cup on Monday, Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal delivered the tournament’s most dramatic upset so far, eliminating English powerhouse Manchester City with a thrilling 4-3 extra-time victory.
After an intense 2-2 draw in regulation, it was Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo who sealed the win in extra time, etching a historic moment for Middle Eastern football and sending Al Hilal into the quarter-finals to face Brazilian side Fluminense, guaranteeing a non-European presence in the semi-finals.
City struck first in the ninth minute through Bernardo Silva, who converted from Rayan Ait-Nouri’s cross.
Al Hilal’s players protested, claiming Ait-Nouri had used his arm in the build-up, but the referee allowed the goal to stand.
The Premier League champions had ample chances to extend their lead before halftime, but a mixture of wasteful finishing and outstanding saves from Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou kept the margin narrow.
While Al Hilal hinted at their counter-attacking danger throughout the first half, City continued to press.
Jeremy Doku fired straight at Bounou, and Silva was denied again by the in-form shot-stopper shortly after.
A Costly Missed Opportunity
City’s failure to capitalize on their chances came back to haunt them almost instantly after the restart.
Former City player Joao Cancelo delivered a low cross that Ederson parried, Malcolm’s shot was blocked by Ruben Dias, but the rebound fell perfectly for Marcos Leonardo to head home and level the score.
Just six minutes later, Cancelo’s long ball split City’s high defensive line, and Malcolm used his pace and strength to race through and slot the ball past Ederson, sending Al Hilal’s fans into euphoria.
In response, Pep Guardiola made a triple substitution, bringing on Rodri, Nathan Ake, and Manuel Akanji to restore defensive composure.
Their presence steadied the backline, and City found an equalizer when Haaland pounced on a loose ball from a corner to make it 2-2.
City launched wave after wave of attacks, but Bounou was in inspired form. He thwarted Akanji, denied Dias, and was finally beaten by Haaland, only for Ali Lajami to produce a miraculous goal-line clearance.
As extra time loomed, Guardiola substituted Haaland for Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush.
Al Hilal Dig Deep
Despite City’s squad depth, Al Hilal displayed remarkable resilience. Just four minutes into extra time, Kalidou Koulibaly rose highest to meet a Ruben Neves corner and nodded in a superb header to restore the Saudi side’s lead.
City answered with a moment of magic, Rayan Cherki floated a precise ball to the far post where Phil Foden, stretching to the limit, poked it home from an impossible angle to make it 3-3.
But Al Hilal weren’t done. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s header was parried by Ederson, but Marcos Leonardo reacted quickest, bundling in the rebound for his second of the night and the match-winner.
As jubilant Al Hilal fans spilled from the stands in celebration, an emotional Leonardo shared the inspiration behind his performance.
“I’ve had a difficult time in the last two months. My mother spent 70 days in the ICU,” he said.
“Today she’s fine, thank God. When I scored those two goals, I thought of her. She was able to watch the match.”
City captain Bernardo Silva reflected on the team’s downfall, acknowledging their failure to contain Al Hilal’s swift counters.
“We scored three and could’ve scored five, six. It was all about controlling when we lost the ball, controlling the transitions, don’t let them run, and they ran way too many times,” he said.
“With one, two passes there was always a feeling of danger coming from them. When we allow teams to run like this we always suffer a lot, and today was the case.”
