Saudi Professional League champions Al Hilal delivered a shocking upset by eliminating Manchester Metropolis from the FIFA Membership World Cup with a dramatic 4-3 victory within the Spherical of 16.
The Premier League holders began brightly and took an early lead within the ninth minute due to Bernardo Silva, who completed off a well-worked transfer involving Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Regardless of dominating possession and creating a number of probabilities, Metropolis had been repeatedly denied by Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, who produced a number of key saves to maintain his aspect within the contest.
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Simone Inzaghi’s Al Hilal, nonetheless, regularly grew into the sport.
Their tempo on the counterattack and intelligent runs behind Metropolis’s excessive line of defense started to trigger issues, although their ending lacked precision within the first half.
The second half instructed a special story. Marcos Leonardo headed house the equaliser shortly after the restart, earlier than Brazilian winger Malcom capitalised on a defensive lapse to place Al Hilal 2-1 forward.
Manchester Metropolis responded rapidly as Erling Haaland capitalised on a poor clearance from Kalidou Koulibaly to carry the rating degree at 2-2.
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The match progressed into additional time, the place Koulibaly made amends by placing Al Hilal forward once more.
However Metropolis struck again nearly instantly, with Phil Foden changing from a decent angle after a superb lofted help from substitute Rayan Cherki.
In a nail-biting finale, Leonardo sealed the victory for Al Hilal, heading in from shut vary after Ederson parried the preliminary shot.
The end result despatched shockwaves throughout the soccer world, exposing defensive vulnerabilities in Pep Guardiola’s aspect which have lingered all through their turbulent 2024/25 season.
This sudden exit from the Membership World Cup is a significant blow for Manchester Metropolis, reigniting issues over their consistency and defensive solidity.
For Guardiola, the defeat serves as a transparent warning signal with the subsequent marketing campaign on the horizon.
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In the meantime, for Simone Inzaghi, the win marks an ideal begin to his tenure at Al Hilal.
The Blue Waves now advance with confidence to face Brazilian giants Fluminense within the quarter-finals, after Fluminense earlier secured victory over Inter Milan.
