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This was not only a shocking victory against the top championship candidate, but also the first time in history that an Asian club had overcome a European representative in this tournament.
At Camping World Stadium, Orlando, coach Pep Guardiola's team took an early lead in the 9th minute. However, they were unable to make the most of their opportunities to increase the gap, and paid the price when Al Hilal came back to lead 2-1 after only 52 minutes of play.
From there, the match became a dramatic score chase: Erling Haaland equalized 2-2 for Man City in the 55th minute, before Kalidou Koulibaly restored Al Hilal's lead with a goal in the 94th minute.
Phil Foden once again kept the English team's hopes alive with a goal in the 104th minute, but all of Man City's efforts were extinguished in the 112th minute, when Marcos Leonardo tapped the ball into the net from close range, sealing a 4-3 victory for the Asian representative.
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"We had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and we did it," Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi said after the match. "All the players were outstanding. They played with heart, with great organisation both with and without the ball. Against a team as strong as Man City, we had to do something extraordinary."
Al-Hilal, which will be controlled by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) from 2023, has invested heavily to bring in international stars such as Ruben Neves, Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly. But defeating the reigning European champions on the world stage is still a feat that far exceeds all expectations.
Coach Inzaghi also did not hesitate to praise his opponent: "Coach Guardiola, in my opinion, is the best coach in the world. But today, we played our best and deserved this result."
In the quarter-finals, Al-Hilal will face South American representatives Fluminense, continuing their inspirational journey at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Watch FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ live and exclusively in Vietnam on FPT Play, with the support of Budweiser - Global Sponsor of the tournament and Samsung AI TV brand, visit http://fptplay.vn
Source: https://tienphong.vn/hlv-al-hilal-simone-inzaghi-ha-man-city-chang-khac-nao-leo-dinh-everest-khong-binh-duong-khi-post1756450.tpo
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