Man City 3-4 Al-Hilal (AET): Pep Guardiola, Simone Inzaghi react to chaotic Club World Cup last-16 clash

Pep Guardiola has conceded that his Manchester City side had shortcomings at both ends of the pitch following their shock 4-3 extra-time defeat against Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal in a chaotic last-16 tie at the FIFA Club World Cup.

The Citizens entered the contest in Orlando in high spirits after topping Group G with three wins out of three, including a statement 5-2 victory over Juventus last time out.

For the fourth game in a row, Man City opened the scoring before the 10-minute mark when captain Bernardo Silva flicked the ball home from just a couple of yards out.

Shot-stopper Bono was a standout performer for Al-Hilal and made crucial saves to deny both Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan from close range, before the Moroccan expertly tipped a header from Josko Gvardiol over the crossbar.

City entered the break with a narrow lead, but Al-Hilal responded in admirable fashion with two goals in the first six minutes of the second half through Brazilian pair Marcos Leonardo and Malcom, before Erling Haaland quickly equalised for the Citizens in the 55th minute.

With time running out for Man City to grab a winner in normal time, Manuel Akanji glanced a header against the post before Haaland’s follow-up effort was remarkably cleared off the line by defender Ali Lajami.

The closely-contested battle was sent to extra time and Kalidou Koulibaly headed Al-Hilal back in front shortly before Phil Foden became the 20th player in Man City’s history to score 100 goals for the club, poking the ball home at the back post after meeting a delightful cross from Rayan Cherki.

However, Man City were caught repeatedly on the break and were undone once again as Leonardo pounced at the back post to send the Citizens packing and Simone Inzaghi’s Blue Wave through to the quarter-finals.

Guardiola: “Now it is time to rest and rest our minds”

Reacting to Man City’s humbling defeat to Al-Hilal, Guardiola told reporters after the match: “At this stage, they are all difficult games. We allowed them to create transitions but we created a lot and in general we were good.

"It is a pity. We have been on an incredible journey together and were in a good place. The vibe was really good. I cannot thank the players enough for training and playing how they have been.

"But it was a difficult game. The margins were minimal. We created a lot and Bono made incredible saves, but we were so open.

"We would have loved to have continued, it will only be once every four years, and we had a feeling that the team was doing well, but we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season."

Guardiola added: "We regret a little bit that we allowed [Al-Hilal] to run a bit more. They defended so deep, the wingers were so quick and Bono 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."

Inzaghi: “We had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen”

Inzaghi, who is yet to lose as Al-Hilal boss since his appointment as head coach less than a month ago, said: "The key to this result was the players, the heart they put on the pitch.

"We had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great.

“All the players were exceptional in everything, in the possession phase, the non-possession phase. We were very well-organised in possession and we played well from a technical point of view against a team which is really aggressive and strong in possession.

"Guardiola is the best coach in the world, but tonight we did our best and we deserved the result."

What next for Man City and Al-Hilal?

Man City’s journey at the Club World Cup is now over and they have six weeks to rest and prepare for the 2025-26 Premier League season, which for them kicks off with a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 16.

As for Al-Hilal, they are now gearing up for Friday’s quarter-final clash with Brazilian outfit Fluminense, who secured a surprise 2-0 win over Inzaghi’s former club Inter Milan in the last 16.

Written by
Oliver Thomas