City crash out 4-3 to Al-Hilal in a chaotic Club World Cup tie despite Foden’s 100th goal

Manchester City’s Club World Cup dream ended in shattering fashion as Al-Hilal dumped them out in extra time with a 4-3 victory in Orlando. Despite Phil Foden scoring his 100th goal for the club to seemingly force penalties, it was Marcos Leonardo who had the final say, striking the winner in the 112th minute of a pulsating last-16 clash.

Renan Lodi’s curling cross, Sergej Milinković-Savić’s header, Ederson’s parry — and there was Leonardo, ghosting in to fire home his second of the night. As the Al-Hilal bench exploded in celebration, cameras caught Foden — the man who had dragged City level just minutes earlier — watching helplessly.

Foden’s equaliser had arrived in sublime style. In the 104th minute, Rayan Cherki floated a gorgeous ball over the defence. Foden darted in, locked eyes on the ball and lashed a stunning volley past Yassine Bounou from an impossible angle. It was vintage Foden, and it should have been enough.

But this game had one more twist.

Earlier, it had all looked routine. Bernardo Silva’s scrappy ninth-minute opener — bundled in after a ricochet involving Ilkay Gundogan — gave City an early lead. Al-Hilal protested for handball, pointing furiously at the stadium screen, but referee Jesús Valenzuela and VAR waved play on.

Guardiola’s side were dominant in possession (71%) but wasteful. Savinho saw a close-range effort saved by Bounou’s flailing hand. Gundogan ran clean through and fluffed it. Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku both misfired. The wastefulness invited hope for Al-Hilal, and they seized it.

Seconds into the second half, João Cancelo skinned the high City line, his cross caused chaos, and after Malcolm’s blocked shot, Leonardo was there to smash home.

Suddenly, the pendulum had swung. And it didn’t stop. On the hour, City committed bodies forward for a corner. Al-Hilal broke. Rayan Ait-Nouri was left trailing as Malcolm galloped into space and rolled a calm finish past Ederson.

City hit back quickly. Bernardo Silva’s corner dropped into a pinball mess — Koulibaly, Ake, then Haaland – the Norwegian finally nudging it over the line. It was 2-2 and still utterly chaotic.

Then came extra time. In the 94th minute, Ruben Neves’s corner was met powerfully by Koulibaly, who outjumped Ruben Dias and Ake to head home. Al-Hilal led again. Guardiola, already without Rodri (subbed off due to injury), gambled by throwing on Foden. It worked — briefly.

Foden’s strike drew them level, but Leonardo’s 112th-minute dagger ensured it would be Al-Hilal — not the European champions — facing Fluminense in the quarter-final. For City, who stood to earn £9.6m for a win, the trip ends in heartbreak and an early flight home.

This shock exit also deepens Pep Guardiola’s concerns. “It could destroy our season,” he warned before the tournament — and now he has injury concerns over Rodri and a fragile team balance to contend with.

Despite a star-studded lineup featuring Haaland, Gundogan, Gvardiol, and Silva, City were undone by old flaws: a vulnerable high line, poor finishing, and — crucially — lack of urgency in decisive moments.

Simone Inzaghi, just weeks into his Al-Hilal reign, masterminded this triumph without his captain, Salem Al-Dawsari or talisman Aleksandar Mitrović. His five-man defence and counter-attack strategy proved decisive, and will be remembered as one of the great Club World Cup upsets.

As Marcos Leonardo wheeled away in celebration, City were left to reflect on a night of what-ifs — and a warning that even the richest club in the world can be humbled when they take their eyes off the fight.