🎥 Inzaghi stuns City 4-3, knocks out Pep, into quarter-finals 🤯 | OneFootball

Incredible Al-Hilal. During the Italian night, the Saudi club eliminated Manchester City at the end of a match that calling epic would be an understatement.

A masterpiece by Simone Inzaghi, who confirms himself as one of the best coaches in the world. He took a team that no one considered competitive and, in less than a month, led them to the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup, just hours after Chivu’s Inter was knocked out by Fluminense.

The match heated up as early as the 9th minute, with City taking the lead through Bernardo Silva. Al Hilal responded immediately with a one-two punch from Marcos Leonardo and Malcom between the end of the first half and the start of the second, before Haaland equalized again in the 55th minute. In extra time, Koulibaly and Foden kept the score at 3-3 until the 112th minute, when Leonardo struck again, scoring the goal that sent the Saudis through. A masterclass from the "Demon," who eliminates Pep Guardiola and will now play for a spot in the semifinals against the Brazilians.

📊 City’s sterile dominance

The Citizens dominated in terms of possession (69% to 31%), shots (30 to 17), and touches in the box (72 to 29), but paid for incredible inaccuracy in front of goal and the defensive effectiveness of their opponents. Inzaghi must also thank goalkeeper Yassine Bono, the true protagonist with 10 saves, 7 of which were from shots inside the box.

But at the back, Koulibaly also made the difference, scoring the temporary 3-2 goal and dominating: 17 actions stopped, 11 clearances, 4 aerial duels won, and not a single dribble conceded.

And while City completed 390 passes in the final third compared to just 46 for Al Hilal, Inzaghi’s team capitalized on the 7 big chances they had, overcoming Guardiola’s side despite a clearly unfavorable final xG. A display of ruthlessness, solidity, and compactness.

👏 Inzaghi makes history: Guardiola beaten

📸 CHANDAN KHANNA - AFP or licensors

Simone Inzaghi has become the first Italian coach to beat Guardiola in a FIFA competition. Having only been in charge of Al Hilal for a month, he has already achieved a historic feat, taking the club to the quarterfinals with pragmatic, organized, and above all effective football.

After coming close to the Champions League with Inter, the coach from Piacenza gets a huge revenge on the international stage. Now, with morale sky-high, Al Hilal awaits Fluminense in the quarterfinals: the goal is no longer just to surprise, but to go all the way.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

📸 CHANDAN KHANNA - AFP or licensors