Manchester City against Al-Hilal in the FIFA Club World Cup resulted in a 4-3 defeat for Pep Guardiola’s men. Despite starting the match as the favourite, the Saudi Arabian club’s performance was beyond what the cityzens could contain.
The Sky Blues were having a great tournament until they met Al-Hilal. However, both teams had incredible moments in the seven-goal thriller.
The Premier League side seemed destined to qualify for the quarter-final when Bernardo Silva opened the scoring. The Portuguese scored within the first 10 minutes; he was assisted by ÌIKay Gündogan.
Manchester City had many chances to increase their lead. Savinho and Gündogan were denied at close range by fantastic saves from Al-Hilal goalkeeper, Bono.
Without a doubt, the Cityzens were the better side throughout the first 45 minutes. Pep Guardiola’s men managed to neutralise all attacking attempts made by their opponents.
However, things went from bad to worse for Manchester City at the beginning of the second half. With just a few seconds the remaining part of the match, the Saudi Arabian club found the back of the net through Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo. He was at the right place at the right time to score with his head.
The worst moment came a few minutes later when former Barcelona man Malcom was put through on goal and he converted the chance to give his side a 2-1 lead.
The Manchester City against Al-Hilal became interesting when Erling Haaland equalised for the Cityzens in the 55th minutes. Both teams were looking for that goal to secure qualification to the Quarter-Final, but none came throughout the 90 minutes. It seemed both teams were destined to play a 2-2 draw until Kalidou Koulibaly powered in a header in the 94th minute of the extra time.
The former Chelsea defender got the goal and thought he had won it for his side. However, the Cityzens wouldn’t give up easily. Phil Foden came off the bench to score a stunning pass from Rayan Cherki.
The score sheet was 3-3, going to the final stage of the extra time. It was thought that penalty shoot-out would decide the winners, but not until Marcos Leonardo became the hero for his side.
He managed to put the ball in the net with just eight minutes left to play. He sent the 2021 AFC Champions League winners the Quarter-Final, and at the same time sent Pep Guardiola’s side back to Manchester.
Manchester City against Al-Hilal, without a doubt, will be regarded as one of the most entertaining matches in this edition of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Meanwhile, CityReports.co.uk has revealed why Pep Guardiola might be happy with the performances of City players at the tournament.