Al Hilal caused the biggest shock of the FIFA Club World Cup so far as they dumped out Manchester City on a dramatic night in Orlando.
The Saudi Pro League side won 4-3 in extra time at Camping World Stadium to eliminate one of the pre-tournament favourites and set up a quarterfinal tie with Fluminense on Friday.
City looked to be strolling through after a first half in which they created an opportunity to score with almost every attack. But the game flipped on its head in the second half and Al Hilal, missing key players Salem Al-Dawsari and Aleksandar Mitrovic through injury, eventually prevailed in a rollercoaster game thanks to Marcos Leonardo’s 112th-minute winner.
Al Hilal came to the U.S. to make a statement that their huge investment thanks to financial backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is setting the club on a course to be able to match Europe’s heavyweights. A 1-1 draw with Real Madrid in their opening game was just a warm-up compared to a seismic result against City.
City boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, was left to contemplate what might have been. It was an expensive defeat, costing the Premier League giants the chance to increase the £37.8 million prize money that they had already won to more than £90m had they lifted the trophy.
FIFA will consider it the perfect advertisement for their new expanded Club World Cup. Two big teams from different federations going head-to-head. Goals, chances, drama and excitement. Fans of both clubs in a (relatively) full stadium and no thunderstorms. The governing body could not have asked for much more.
Guardiola will not have the same view.