🔬 The Debrief as the Club World Cup gets its biggest shocks | OneFootball

🔬 The Debrief as the Club World Cup gets its biggest shocks | OneFootball

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Alex Mott·1 July 2025

🔬 The Debrief as the Club World Cup gets its biggest shocks

Article image:🔬 The Debrief as the Club World Cup gets its biggest shocks

Two unlikely names put themselves into the quarter-finals with easily the biggest shocks of the Club World Cup so far.

Here's what went down overnight ...


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What happened? 📝

A non-European side will definitely be in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup after two seismic shocks in the last eight.

Inter were probably the better side in their clash with Fluminense but a goal inside the opening three minutes and one right at the death ensured the Rio giants booked their place in the next round.

Then it was on to Orlando where Al Hilal stunned Manchester City with probably the game of the competition so far.

A pulsating 90 minutes ended in a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes, before Marcos Leonardo netted an extra time winner to see the Saudi club win 4-3.


Player of the Day 🔥

Article image:🔬 The Debrief as the Club World Cup gets its biggest shocks

📸 Francois Nel - 2025 Getty Images

Marcos Leonardo has been a veritable goal machine since joining Al Hilal last summer but the Brazil youth international netted his first two of the Club World Cup overnight, showing his goal-hanger tendencies with a pair of close-range finishes.


What this means 🤔

Inter and Manchester City are now heading home with Fluminense and Al Hilal ready to face each other in Orlando on Friday evening.

As FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Instagram overnight, a "new era of football has started".


What they said 🗣️

Article image:🔬 The Debrief as the Club World Cup gets its biggest shocks

📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors

“We knew that it would be a difficult game against one of the best teams in the world and we wanted to show our ideas, our talents and our power. We made a very good game; we took our chances so we can be happy. We wanted to show that Al Hilal have the power and the talent to be here and we showed a great mentality.” Kalidou Koulibaly, Al Hilal defender

"We didn't give up. We tried until the end. We tried to make some changes with the formation. It was a day that wasn't for us. That's it. We tried to do our best, like always. Today wasn't a day for us... We didn't expect them to play five in the back. They were well organised with the low block on defence. It was hard for us to find a solution, especially in the first half." Cristian Chivu, Inter head coach

“It is a pity. We have been on incredible journey together and were in a good place. The vibe was really good. I cannot thank the players enough for training and playing how they have been. But it was a difficult game. The margins were minimal. We created a lot and (Yassine) Bounou made incredible saves but we were so open. We would have loved to have continued, it will only be once every four years, and we had a feeling that the team was doing well. But we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season.” Pep Guardiola, Manchester City coach


What's next? 👀

The final Round of 16 games take place later with Juventus taking on Real Madrid in Miami. Then it's on to Atlanta where Borussia Dortmund face Monterrey of Mexico.


📸 Megan Briggs - 2025 Getty Images