Al-Hilal stunned Manchester City with a 4-3 win in extra time, eliminating them from the FIFA Club World Cup.
The Premier League powerhouses took the lead early and controlled the first half, but a strong Al-Hilal performance and defensive lapses caused them to give up four goals, more than they had allowed during their group stage campaign.
After a defensive blunder, Bernardo Silva scored from close range in the ninth minute but replays suggested Rayan Aït-Nouri may have handballed during the build-up, which infuriated the Saudi team.
Before halftime, goalie Bono made a number of vital saves to deny Savinho, Ilkay Gündogan, and Josko Gvardiol as City continued to pose a threat.
However, the English team was unable to increase their lead in spite of their superiority.
Al-Hilal responded just 44 seconds after the restart. In the 52nd minute, Malcom gave them a surprising 2-1 lead after racing clear to slot home coolly after Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo had headed in the equalizer.
Erling Haaland equalized from a corner three minutes later as City quickly responded. As City looked for a late winner, Manuel Akanji then struck the post, and Ali Lajami heroically cleared Haaland’s follow-up off the line.
In the 94th minute, Kalidou Koulibaly seemed to have given Al-Hilal the victory with a powerful header, but Phil Foden responded with a close-range volley to make it 3–3.
However, Leonardo came up again in the 112th minute, scoring at the back post to give Al-Hilal an incredible win and eliminate City from the competition.
With ten saves, goalie Bono, who helped Morocco advance to the 2022 World Cup semifinals, played a crucial role in keeping Al-Hilal in the match despite fierce City pressure.
With two goals and a decisive performance, Leonardo, who is only 22 years old, gave his best performance to date. João Cancelo, a former City player, was also crucial and helped Al-Hilal’s offensive moments.
