Al-Hilal 'climb Everest' - but 'worrying signs' for Man City

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Saudi Arabia has invested billions in an effort to become a notable player in global football. During the celebration on Monday evening in Florida, fans experienced a sense of gratification as if a portion of that investment had finally yielded results.

In a remarkable Club World Cup match, Al-Hilal, a team from the Pro League, created a sensation by defeating the esteemed Premier League champions Manchester City with a score of 4-3.

Typically, Monday nights in the USA are associated with live wrestling broadcasts, but this time, it was football that took center stage as Marcos Leonardo's goal sent City home empty-handed.

As former England winger Andros Townsend remarked on Dazn, "Al-Hilal have stunned the world."

For the Brazilian striker who secured the victory with his goal, it was a deeply emotional night. He expressed his gratitude to his mother, who is recuperating after spending over two months in a hospital due to a serious condition.

He shared, "The last two months have been challenging for me. My mother was in the ICU for 70 days. Thankfully, she is doing well now. When I scored those two goals, she was on my mind. She was able to watch the match."

Al-Hilal's head coach, Simone Inzaghi, felt as if he had regained a sense of glory.

Just a month prior, Inzaghi departed from Inter Milan only three days after witnessing his team suffer a heavy 5-0 defeat to Paris St-Germain in the Champions League final.

Having just begun his new position and missing key injured players Salem Al Dasani and Aleksandar Mitrovic, he now has a monumental win to celebrate.

"The players are the key to this result; their passion on the pitch was vital," he stated.

"We needed to deliver something extraordinary as we understood the quality of Manchester City. We had to scale Mount Everest without any oxygen, and we were outstanding.

"Our determination was strong, and we truly engaged with the game. They earned this; they battled for every ball, and it brings pride to the Al-Hilal family, Saudi Arabia, and our fans here."

'Now we'll see if there will be criticism directed at us.'

The newly formatted Club World Cup has not been universally praised, yet the unforgettable match in the last-16 round will be discussed worldwide.

Al-Hilal managed to hold on in the first half, fortunate to only trail 1-0 thanks to the impressive saves from goalkeeper Bono, but they rallied to take the lead in the second half.

Despite being leveled twice, Marcos Leonardo struck the final blow, and once the referee blew the whistle for the end of the match, staff and substitutes rushed onto the field to celebrate with the players.

The ecstatic Al-Hilal supporters, a significant number of whom were positioned right behind the dugout, waved the club's blue flags alongside the green and white of their national colors.

As they exited the Camping World Stadium, the traveling fans filled the concourses, dancing and chanting "ole, ole ole ole," while Saudi journalists embraced and congratulated each other in the post-match press conference area.

One entered with astonished eyes and arms uplifted, exclaiming "Mabrook" in Arabic, which means "congratulations," nearly unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

This marked the first occasion an Asian club has triumphed over a European team in an official Fifa competition. European clubs had secured victory in 18 out of the last 20 encounters, with two matches ending in a draw.

A reporter from Arryadia referred to this outcome as "one of the greatest in the annals of Saudi football," but noted that the nation's surprising 2-1 victory over Argentina during the 2022 World Cup will "forever remain the pinnacle."

A substantial investment has been made to elevate the profile of Saudi football, with over £700 million spent on acquiring talent for the Pro League, while the noteworthy signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal to Al-Nassr two and a half years ago was a major highlight.

Saudi Arabia is also set to host the 2034 World Cup — a choice that Fifa president Gianni Infantino has defended in the face of considerable backlash — with the human rights organization Amnesty International labeling it as "reckless."

Infantino, the architect of the revamped 32-team Club World Cup format, has contended that hosting the World Cup in the Gulf nation could serve as a driver for societal advancements.

The country has endured prolonged criticism regarding its human rights and environmental practices. Its bid to host the World Cup received support from the Football Association in December following assurances that all attendees would be welcomed.

The Saudi World Cup bid faced no competition, as Australia — the sole other potential candidate — opted out of the race, suggesting it would be fruitless to proceed after Fifa presented less than a month for an official bid.

Fifa maintained a hurried selection process that critics claimed lacked clarity, indicating it essentially favored Saudi Arabia since only proposals from Asia and Oceania would be accepted.

Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who transferred to Al-Hilal from Lazio in 2023, was inquired about the backlash players have faced for moving to the Middle East for financial incentives.

"Let’s find out if there will be any criticism now," he remarked. "We've demonstrated that the discussions are not about the league."

"We’ve shown this against Real Madrid, Salzburg, Pachuca, and tonight. I hope we can continue to prove ourselves."

Former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who netted a goal in extra time, expressed, "We were aware it would be challenging against one of the world’s top teams."

"We aimed to showcase our abilities. We are thrilled because we wanted to demonstrate that Al-Hilal possesses the skill to compete at this level."

'A genuine concern' for Man City

The group stage was smooth sailing for City, with victories in all three matches, but they stumbled at the first knockout stage due to a disorganized defensive display.

Pep Guardiola's team frequently found themselves vulnerable during counter-attacks and paid dearly for their careless play on both ends of the field, missing numerous opportunities in the first half.

"It wasn’t a fluke, but it's a real cause for concern for Guardiola," remarked former City goalkeeper Shay Given on Dazn. "They could have netted even more. It's truly alarming the number of chances they conceded."

This result also marks the end of Guardiola's perfect record at the Club World Cup, which he maintained as the manager of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City.

Previously, the Spaniard had triumphed in all 11 of his matches in the tournament, allowing only four goals—but that figure doubled in just 120 exhilarating minutes in Orlando.

Guardiola's challenge now is to address the problems his team encountered in Florida ahead of their Premier League opener against Wolves on August 16.

He commented, "It was a tough game. We allowed them to transition easily, but we created a lot of chances. It’s unfortunate—we have had an incredible journey together and the atmosphere was really positive.

"We would have loved to keep going. We had a sense that the team was in a good place, yet we must return home and take the time to rest and recharge our minds for the upcoming season."