Man City crashed out of the Club World Cup in a shock defeat to Al Hilal that was labelled ‘one of football’s biggest shocks’.
City were beaten 4-3 in extra-time to the Saudi Pro League club in a thriller at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
Pep Guardiola was left fuming as City crashed out of the Club World CupGettyPep Guardiola’s side were left to rue a succession of missed chances as they failed to add to Bernardo Silva’s ninth-minute opener before Marcos Leonardo and Malcom turned the game around.
Erling Haaland sent the game to extra time but City needed another equaliser from Phil Foden after Kalidou Koulibaly headed the Saudi Arabian outfit back in front.
City, who were repeatedly caught on the break, could not regain the initiative and Leonardo secured a major upset – and a statement victory for Saudi football – with 112 minutes on the clock.
It was a tough day at the office for Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who continues to get back to full strength after a knee injury.
He was subbed on in the 53rd minute, before being hooked off in extra time. He made zero tackles and was dribbled past twice.
It led to some pretty nasty messages on social media as people asked ‘is Rodri the worst Ballon d’Or winner of all time?’
It was a completely different story for Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who put on an almighty performance against City.
He made 10 saves in the match and was a complete brick wall for the Saudi club, while he currently leads the Club World Cup with 23 saves in four games.
Haaland even appeared to joke that Bounou should come to City after the game.
And it is a result that will likely reverberate throughout the football world.
Rodri was mocked for his underwhelming performanceGetty Al Hilal earned the greatest win in Saudi football history – and progress to the quarter-finalGettytalkSPORT host Jeff Stelling said: “It is one of the biggest shocks, dare I say, in the history of the game. The Saudi Arabian side, Al-Hilal, have put Manchester City out.
“That’s a result, I think, that will reverberate around world football because the natural order that we’ve always seen has been completely demolished in one game. Saudi football has announced itself on the world stage.”
Former Rangers striker Ally McCoist added: “It’s the biggest result that the Middle Eastern league could have dreamt of. It really is. It’s a fantastic result for them.
“No matter what happens now, the fact that they’ve taken the scalp of Manchester City is very, very significant.
“And you’re right. It’s one of the biggest shocks and surprises we’ve had in a long, long time.
“City defensively looked as poor as they looked in stages last season. Literally all over the place.”
City now head back to England – but have their work cut outGettyCity had been strong favourites to prevail and go through to a quarter-final clash against Fluminense, the side they thrashed 4-0 in the 2023 final, but Guardiola conceded there were shortcomings at both ends of the field.
He said: “We regret a little bit that we allowed them to run a bit more. They defended so deep, the wingers were so quick and Bounou made a lot of saves.
“In the end, we have to score and be clinical. They arrived more in the transitions. They did not create much in the first half but we did but could not finish it.
“I had a feeling we could go through but they punished us on the transitions.”
Now City head back to England will all focus back on the Premier League, but there are financial reverberations.
This defeat cost them over £9million, while another £15million would have been at stake if they had reached the quarter-final.
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