Al-Hilal knock Manchester City out of the Club World Cup in thrilling 4-3 win | OneFootball

Al-Hilal knocked Manchester City out of the Club World Cup last night after producing a thrilling 4-3 win in the round of 16.

Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for City in the ninth minute. Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri combined well before Silva slotted his shot into the net from close range.

City could have added more goals if it weren’t for Yassine Bounou’s fantastic saves.

Simone Inzaghi’s side troubled City’s high line with counter-attacks and dangerous runs behind the defence, but they were wasteful in the final third.

However, they turned the game on its head a few minutes after the break.

Marcos Leonardo netted the equaliser with his header before Brazilian compatriot Malcom made it 2-1 after catching City’s defence off guard.

Erling Braut Haaland equalised after sweeping Kalidou Koulibaly’s botched clearance into the net.

Koulibaly put Al-Hilal ahead in extra-time, but Phil Foden restored parity.

Leonardo subsequently scored with a header to secure a shock win for Al-Hilal.

Man City’s defensive woes were laid bare, indicating that there is still a lot of work to be done this summer.

They appeared to have regained their form in the Club World Cup, but the result against Al-Hilal evoked memories of the troubled 2024/25 campaign.

The defeat will serve as an early wake-up call for manager Pep Guardiola to improve things before heading into the next season.

Meanwhile, Inzaghi is off to a great start to his managerial spell at Al-Hilal.

The victory will enhance the Blue Waves’ morale ahead of the quarter-final against Fluminense, who earlier defeated Inter Milan.