Defending champions Manchester City suffered a shock early exit from the FIFA Club World Cup, crashing out at the last-16 stage after a dramatic 4-3 extra-time defeat to Saudi giants Al-Hilal in a pulsating seven-goal spectacle.
Despite breezing through the group stages, Pep Guardiola’s side were undone by defensive lapses and a spirited Al-Hilal performance that delivered one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history.
City made their trademark fast start, opening the scoring inside 10 minutes for the fourth match running. Bernardo Silva fired home from close range after a defensive scramble, though Al-Hilal protested vehemently after Rayan Aït-Nouri appeared to handle the ball in the build-up.
City pushed for a second, but goalkeeper Bono stood firm, pulling off impressive saves to deny Savinho, Ilkay Gündogan, and a powerful Josko Gvardiol header.
After a quiet first half, Al-Hilal turned the match on its head just 44 seconds after the restart when Marcos Leonardo nodded home the equaliser. The Saudi side seized momentum and stunned City further on 52 minutes when Malcom — once of Barcelona — calmly slotted in to make it 2-1.
City responded swiftly, with Erling Haaland poking in from a corner to level the score at 2-2. The Premier League champions pushed for a winner in normal time, coming agonisingly close when Manuel Akanji hit the post and Haaland’s rebound was dramatically cleared off the line by Ali Lajami.
In extra time, Kalidou Koulibaly rose highest to power in a header, putting Al-Hilal ahead again in the 94th minute. But substitute Phil Foden kept City’s hopes alive, firing in a superb volley from a tight angle to make it 3-3.
Just when penalties seemed inevitable, Marcos Leonardo struck again, sliding in at the back post to seal a historic win for the 2021 AFC Champions League winners.