Al Hilal Pull Off Remarkable Upset Against Manchester City in Thrilling Seven-Goal Clash in Charlotte

Manchester City’s campaign in the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) came to an electrifying conclusion in Orlando, as Al Hilal orchestrated a stunning comeback, triumphing 4-3 and advancing to the quarter-finals. This result also marked the end of Pep Guardiola’s perfect winning streak in this tournament.

The heavily favoured City side began the match on a strong – albeit contentious – note when, just nine minutes in, Bernardo Silva slotted in from close range after a clearance rebounded off Ilkay Gundogan in the six-yard box. A VAR check for a potential handball against Gundogan was swiftly dismissed, but the replays shown on the large screen ignited passionate protests from Al Hilal players, delaying the match’s resumption.

Simone Inzaghi’s squad sought to harness that sense of grievance into an immediate reaction, yet despite showcasing some neat passages of play, Ederson had little to worry about as Al Hilal failed to register a shot on target before the half-time whistle.

At the other end, Yassine Bounou was continuously thwarting City’s efforts for a second goal, making critical saves from Erling Haaland’s header and preventing attempts from Savinho and Jeremy Doku, keeping Al Hilal’s hopes alive as they trailed by just one at the break.

Bounou’s first-half heroics soon took centre stage after the interval, as Al Hilal produced a stunning turnaround, scoring twice within the first seven minutes of the second half. First, Marcos Leonardo scavenged an equaliser after City failed to clear a right-wing cross, following which Malcom raced through from his own half to finish coolly past Ederson, putting the Saudi side in front.

Haaland struck back with an equaliser in the 55th minute, capitalising on a muddled City corner. The match continued in a frantic manner when Malcolm thought he had orchestrated a penalty only to see his efforts overturned due to a marginal offside in the lead-up.

As both teams began to tire, the game’s tempo slowed, leading to extra time being unavoidable after an exceptional goalline clearance by Ali Lajami prevented Haaland from clinching a late victory.

Though the Al Hilal squad appeared fatigued at the conclusion of regular time, they kicked off extra time in spectacular fashion with Rúben Neves delivering a precise corner that was expertly headed past Ederson by Kalidou Koulibaly.

In response, Guardiola introduced Phil Foden, whose impact was immediate; he converted a superb first-time finish to equalise at 3-3 from a stunning cross by Rayan Cherki.

With both teams showing signs of weariness, the decisive blow came in the 113th minute. Ederson made a remarkable one-handed save to deny Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, but the rebound landed at the feet of Marcos Leonardo, who managed to stumble the ball across the line as his side progressed to the quarter-finals to face Fluminense.

Check out all the match statistics here.

_______________________________________________

Sponsored:

FIFA Club World Cup – Every match available for free, exclusively on DAZN.

Sign up here to start streaming.

_______________________________________________