Club World Cup
ABU DHABI: In what is being hailed as one of the greatest upsets in Club World Cup history, Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stunned English Premier League champions Manchester City with a thrilling 4-3 victory in extra time, sending shockwaves through the footballing world and knocking the European giants out of the tournament.
The dramatic clash, played under the Abu Dhabi lights, ended 2-2 in regular time, but it was Al Hilal’s Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo who proved to be the hero, netting the decisive goal in the extra period to seal a historic win and spark jubilant celebrations among fans and players alike.
City opened the scoring early, with Bernardo Silva finding the net in the 9th minute after a cross from Rayan Ait-Nouri — a goal surrounded by controversy as Al Hilal players protested that Ait-Nouri had used his arm in the build-up.
Despite their dominance in the first half, City failed to extend the lead due to a combination of wasteful finishing and stellar goalkeeping from Moroccan international Yassine Bounou.
That lack of ruthlessness came back to haunt Pep Guardiola’s men. Just moments after the break, Marcos Leonardo leveled the score for Al Hilal, heading home after a chaotic sequence in the City box. Minutes later, Brazilian winger Malcolm stunned the City defense again, racing on to a long ball from Cancelo and calmly slotting past Ederson to make it 2-1.
Guardiola responded with a triple substitution to steady the ship, and his efforts bore fruit when Erling Haaland equalized from close range after a scramble in the box. Despite relentless pressure from City, Al Hilal’s defense—marshalled by Bounou and capped with a heroic goal-line clearance by Ali Lajami—held firm to take the game into extra time.
Al Hilal reclaimed the lead early in the first period of extra time when Kalidou Koulibaly rose high to head home a Ruben Neves corner. But City struck back once more, with Phil Foden producing a moment of magic, stretching to turn in a stunning lofted ball from Rayan Cherki.
Yet, the Saudis were not done. In a move emblematic of their relentless spirit, Milinkovic-Savic’s header forced a save from Ederson, only for Leonardo to follow up and bundle the ball over the line, completing his brace and sealing the 4-3 win.
The emotional Brazilian forward dedicated the win to his mother, who had recently spent 70 days in the ICU. “She’s better now, thank God. When I scored, I thought only of her,” he said.
City captain Bernardo Silva admitted his team paid the price for failing to control Al Hilal’s counter-attacks. “They ran too often, and we couldn’t control the transitions,” he said. “We could’ve scored five or six, but that’s what happens when you don’t take your chances.”
Meanwhile, the surprises continued in Charlotte, where Brazil’s Fluminense knocked out Champions League runners-up Inter Milan with a convincing 2-0 win. Goals from German Cano and substitute Hercules sealed the deal, despite Inter hitting the post twice through Lautaro Martinez and Federico Dimarco.
Fluminense captain Thiago Silva, the 40-year-old veteran, praised his team’s performance. “They reached the Champions League final just weeks ago, but we played with heart and discipline,” he said.
It marked another major statement for Brazilian clubs in this tournament, following victories by Botafogo over PSG and Flamengo over Chelsea in earlier group matches.
Inter’s elimination deepens the club’s recent turmoil. Newly appointed coach Cristian Chivu failed to inspire, and captain Lautaro Martinez issued a scathing message post-match: “If you don’t want to fight for this shirt, leave. We need players with top-level mentality.”
As the Club World Cup enters its final stages, it is clear that the gap between traditional European powerhouses and ambitious clubs from South America and the Middle East is narrowing. With Al Hilal and Fluminense set to face off in the quarter-finals, at least one non-European team is guaranteed a place in the semi-finals — a symbol of the changing global football order.
