On Monday, soccer fans around the world were left speechless after one of the wildest matches in recent Club World Cup history. Manchester City, one of the best teams in the world, were expected to easily beat Al Hilal, a top team from Saudi Arabia. But things didn’t go as planned.
In a game that lasted 120 minutes (90 minutes plus extra time), Al Hilal pulled off a shocking 4–3 win, sending Manchester City out of the tournament. It was the kind of match that reminded everyone why we love soccer—unpredictable, exciting, and full of drama!
A Clash Between Two Famous Coaches
This game was also special because of the battle between two famous coaches: Pep Guardiola of Manchester City and Simone Inzaghi, who is currently managing Al Hilal (after his past work at Inter Milan). In their last two meetings in European competitions, Guardiola had won once and drawn the other. But this time, Inzaghi finally came out on top.
Just earlier in the tournament, Inzaghi’s old team, Inter Milan, had lost their Club World Cup match against Fluminense, another surprise result. That means this year’s Club World Cup is full of unexpected twists!
Manchester City Take Early Lead
The game started exactly the way Manchester City wanted. In the 9th minute, Bernardo Silva scored to give them a 1–0 lead. That was City’s fourth goal in the opening 15 minutes of a Club World Cup match, more than any other team.
City were totally in control early on. They had 71.9% possession—which means they had the ball nearly three-fourths of the time—and they were making Al Hilal chase shadows. Most fans probably thought City were about to win big.
But Al Hilal’s goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, had other plans.
Bounou the Wall
By halftime, Bounou had already made five saves to keep Al Hilal in the game. Without him, it could’ve easily been 3–0 or 4–0 for City.
Al Hilal hadn’t done much on offense in the first half. They only had three shots total, and none of them were really dangerous. But sometimes in soccer, all it takes is a moment to change everything.
Al Hilal Flip the Script
In the second half, it took just six minutes for Al Hilal to completely turn the game around. First, Marcos Leonardo scored to tie it at 1–1. Then, not long after, Malcom made it 2–1 after an amazing pass from Joao Cancelo cut right through City’s defense.
City responded quickly, with coach Pep Guardiola making three substitutions. One of them worked right away—Erling Haaland scored just two minutes later to tie it 2–2.
City Dominate, But Can’t Finish
After that, it looked like City would take over again. Jeremy Doku had two shots on target, and City had already tried 10 shots on goal—more than their average of 9.3 per match in the tournament.
By the 60th minute, City had made 17 crosses into the box and Haaland alone had taken 15 shots—the highest in the tournament alongside Lautaro Martinez. But no matter how many chances they created, Bounou stopped them all. By the end of 90 minutes, he had made a whopping 10 saves.
Koulibaly Strikes in Extra Time
When the game went into extra time, it was anyone’s guess who would win. Just four minutes in, Kalidou Koulibaly scored for Al Hilal to make it 3–2. The big defender was in the right place at the right time.
But Koulibaly didn’t just score—he played an amazing defensive game too. He made 4 tackles, the most by any player, and was constantly stopping City’s attackers.
Foden Fires Back
Still, City didn’t give up. Phil Foden scored again to tie it 3–3, with just over 15 minutes left in extra time. That goal was the fifth goal scored by a City substitute in the Club World Cup.
City kept pushing forward. Ruben Dias made 135 passes in the game, the highest of anyone. City completed 827 total passes with an incredible 92.3% accuracy. Even better, Manuel Akanji had a near-perfect 98.2% passing rate. In fact, 8 of City’s 11 starters had passing rates over 90%.
It was like watching a soccer masterclass—until things went wrong again.
Marcos Leonardo Does It Again
In the final moments of the game, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic took a powerful shot that deflected and fell straight to Marcos Leonardo, who didn’t hesitate and smashed the ball into the net. That made it 4–3 for Al Hilal, and it was Leonardo’s fourth goal of the tournament.
He celebrated wildly and got a yellow card for it—but who could blame him?
Al Hilal’s Heroes
In the closing minutes, City kept attacking. Doku and Savinho alone made 19 crosses and City had 30 total shots, but they just couldn’t find a way through.
Al Hilal stood strong, winning 56 one-on-one duels and making 48 interceptions. Koulibaly alone had 11 clearances, 9 duels won, and 7 interceptions—an incredible all-around performance for the 34-year-old.
City Left With Questions
Before this match, Manchester City looked unstoppable in the Club World Cup. But once again, when faced with a team that could defend strongly and play physical soccer, they struggled.
This match showed that even the best teams can lose if their opponent stays organized, fights hard, and takes their chances.
Now it’s back to the drawing board for Pep Guardiola, while Al Hilal move on, full of confidence and dreams of winning the whole tournament.
Fun Soccer Facts from the Match:
Man City had 827 passes with 92.3% accuracy.
Haaland took 15 shots, tying the tournament record.
Yassine Bounou made 10 saves, the most in a single Club World Cup match this year.
Al Hilal scored on 4 of their 6 shots on target—super efficient!
Marcos Leonardo scored 4 goals in the tournament, leading all scorers.
