Al-Hilal Sends a Shockwave Through the Club World Cup
If you thought surprises only came in the early stages of tournaments, the FIFA Club World Cup in Orlando tossed the script out the window. On July 1, 2025, Al-Hilal—a team most people didn’t expect to outgun European heavyweights—pulled off a truly jaw-dropping upset, sending Manchester City packing in a 4-3 extra-time stunner.
Before the match, most would have penciled City into the next round without much fuss. The defending English and European champions, with their usual all-star cast, looked poised to march on. The reality? It turned out to be a heart-stopping rollercoaster that nobody could have scripted.
Bernardo Silva fired the early warning via a 9th-minute goal, putting City ahead and setting what looked like a familiar pattern. Yet, City couldn’t shake Al-Hilal, who were propped up by Yassine Bounou’s dazzling saves—six alone in the first half. The Saudi side chose not to lie down, keeping the game alive and chipping away at City’s confidence.
The Goals, The Drama, and The Turnaround
Whatever was said in the Al-Hilal dressing room at halftime worked. Just seconds after the restart, Marcos Leonardo broke through and coolly slotted the equalizer. Suddenly, everyone at Exploria Stadium started believing the impossible. And things got wilder from there.
Al-Hilal nosed ahead in the 52nd minute thanks to Malcom, raising eyebrows on City’s bench. But you can never count out Erling Haaland—he snatched the 2-2 equalizer barely three minutes later with a rocket finish. The crowd caught its breath, only to lose it again in extra time.
- 94': Kalidou Koulibaly crashes in a corner to put Al-Hilal 3-2 ahead
- 104': Phil Foden—marking his 100th City goal—levels things again, a moment of personal triumph even as the tension raged
- 112': Leonardo pounces on a rebound in the crowded box, snatching what would become the historic decider.
The back-and-forth had everybody on edge, but controversy stirred things up too. After Malcom appeared to concede a penalty, VAR stepped in and ruled him offside, overturning what would have been a backbreaking decision against Al-Hilal.
Bounou, Al-Hilal’s keeper, deserves his own highlight reel after his first-half heroics. Without his cat-like reactions, Manchester City could have coasted away before the break.
For City, it’s a bitter pill—perhaps their most shocking tournament exit in recent memory. Meanwhile, Al-Hilal fans aren’t just dreaming: they’re heading to face Brazil’s Fluminense in the quarterfinals with nothing to lose and everything to play for.