Al Hilal Stuns Manchester City in Club World cup Thriller: A Saudi Arabian triumph!
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Al Hilal eliminated Manchester City from the Club World Cup in a landmark victory for the Saudi arabian team, winning a remarkable last-16 game 4-3 in extra time to cap a day of upsets.
The Saudi side have shopped significantly for European stars since the state’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) took control of four teams in the Saudi Pro League in 2023 as part of its global sports push.
Saudi Arabia will host the World Cup in 2034 and the sports investment arm of PIF invested a reported $1billion (£750m) in DAZN, the broadcaster that bought the rights to the Club World Cup for the same amount from FIFA, which in turn has offered an overall prize pot of $1bn for this competition.
Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal have now banked a further $13.7m of that fund and could earn more when they face Fluminense back at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando in a quarter-final on friday.
The game evoked the chaotic Champions League semi-finals contested when Inzaghi was at Inter towards the end of the domestic season, with drama and quality laced throughout.
Al Hilal were furious about City’s opening goal and at first refused to kick off after the ball appeared to strike the right arm of Rayan Ait-Nouri and then the upper-left arm of Ilkay Gundogan before Bernardo Silva bundled it in. Both players appeared to have their arms in a natural position and neither moved their arms towards the ball,but the protests meant it was almost four minutes before the game resumed,with referee Jesus Valenzuela publicly confirming his decision over the stadium PA.
If that was dramatic, the second half was manic, with Marcos leonardo equalising 41 seconds after the break following a brilliant run by Malcom, who then put Al Hilal 2-1 up on 52 minutes when he ran through from halfway after a superb Joao Cancelo through ball.
Erling Haaland equalised a few minutes later and Malcom was then awarded a penalty, only to be flagged offside. mohamed Kanno missed a great chance to win it for Al Hilal before substitute Ali Lajami acrobatically cleared Haaland’s 84th-minute header off the line to send the game to extra time.
It was Pep Guardiola’s turn to run onto the pitch to fume at referee Valenzuela after he blew for full time in regular time, despite Jeremy Doku being hacked down driving a risky attack.
Guardiola had barely calmed down when Kalidou Koulibaly headed in a corner from another former Premier League player, Ruben Neves, but substitute Phil Foden levelled the game again at 3-3 at the end of the first half of stoppage time.
Ederson produced a brilliant reflex save to keep out a Sergej Milinkovic-savic header but the ball fell to Leonardo, who bundled in the winner in the 112th minute.
Here, The Athletic‘s Jordan Campbell, Mark Carey, Sam Lee and Oliver Kay analyse a remarkable game.
How costly is this exit for Manchester City?
City’s money men had budgeted for a quarter-final appearance at the Club World Cup, so in a financial sense, their surprise elimination at the last-16 stage means they have fallen short of expectations.
City will miss out on $13.7m, leaving Guardiola’s side collecting an estimated $51.7m from the tournament.
On a football side, it is a reality check for a team that has already made big strides forward after struggling last season. There has been a fresh atmosphere around the club thanks to the new signings and backroom staff changes, but those factors could not propel them towards a serious run at the Club World Cup crown and the finances that come with it.
After beating Juventus 5-2 and the first half against Al Hilal, they had been warming up very nicely, but suddenly, they find themselves out. With six weeks to go until the Premier League season starts,the early finish does allow the players a chance to rest up and train properly before the big kick-off. It might very well be a blessing in disguise but they would have been hoping to win this tournament.
“It has been an amazing journey, we have been so good here,” manager Guardiola said afterwards. “The vibe of the players and the staff has been so good. It’s a pity that we are out. Football is like this. We tried until the end.
“We knew it was a good team with top quality. All of them have been playing in Europe for many years with a lot of quality. Today, we were really, really good in general.”
Sam Lee
How notable is this for Saudi Arabia?
It is hard to gauge the importance of matches at this tournament but this has to be seen as an enormous result and occasion for Al Hilal, Saudi Arabia and Asian football – not to mention a significant boost to the Club World Cup as a competition.
Nobody should imagine that this was Manchester City at the peak of their powers. Guardiola’s side were coming off the back of their worst campaign in years and trying to balance the fitness demands of being between two seasons, but Al Hilal were excellent, producing a disciplined, incisive counter-attacking display that will have delighted Inzaghi, their new coach.
To have a club from the Middle East in the quarter-finals, as well as two from Brazil, can help this tournament grow. Al Hilal are unbeaten in the United States this summer and have been one of the most impressive teams at the tournament.
Beyond that, it was an enthralling game of the type the tournament needs.Following Fluminense’s victory over Inter, this felt like a positive day for the Club World Cup, with the focus on the pitch rather than heat, storms and empty seats.
Oliver Kay
How good were the ex-Premier League players?
City should not have been surprised by what followed when Neves prepared himself to whip in a corner at the start of extra time.
The Portugal international spent years at Wolverhampton Wanderers and City will have had multiple reminders of the technical quality he possesses from dead balls. The player on the end of Neves’s dangerous delivery? Former Chelsea defender Koulibaly, who remains an imposing figure from set plays when making the march upfield from center-back.
Neves and Koulibaly made the move from the Premier League to the Saudi Pro League in the summer of 2023 during Al Hilal’s spending spree, with the pair becoming mainstays of the side. Six months later, Neves admitted that finances were at the heart of his decision but that he was also keen to build football in Saudi Arabia.
“One of the things is the money,” Neves told BBC Sport. “You cannot hide that. But when we see the project – and I know a lot of people think we say this because just to say it, but it’s not true.”
From the performances both players put in against City – especially Neves as a central centre-back within Inzaghi’s back five – there is little doubt that their quality remains as high as ever, with their link-up for Al Hilal’s third goal being a timely reminder to Guardiola.
Mark Carey
Why did Al Hilal initially refuse to kick off after City’s opener?
Valenzuela, the referee, pointed to the centre circle and ordered Al Hilal to restart the game, but the Saudi team refused.
they were incensed that the referee had allowed City’s goal to stand after seeing a replay on the screen, which appeared to show the ball hitting Ait-Nouri’s arm, even though it was bent and tucked into his body as he ran onto the ball.
The video assistant referee (VAR) did not instruct Valenzuela to go to the monitor but Al Hilal’s players surrounded him and refused to accept his decision, continuing to argue their case.
Even when he blew his whistle, waved them away and continued pointing to the spot to signal that Bernardo’s goal had stood, two players did not concede and remained in City’s half of the pitch.
This is how it all unfolded.
First, a clipped ball through catches Ait-Nouri on the arm as he runs into the box.
Then, when the ball rebounds from his cross, it strikes Gundogan on his upper arm and is then poked in by Bernardo.
As City celebrated, several Al Hilal players, including Neves, made their case that it should be ruled out for handball.
