Al Hilal Topples Manchester City in a Club World Cup Epic
Nobody saw this coming. On June 30, 2025, at Camping World Stadium, Al Hilal faced off with global powerhouse Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup round of 16. Few predicted the Saudi Arabia club would outlast the Premier League champions in what became a seven-goal spectacle packed with heart-stopping moments and wild momentum swings.
Manchester City came into the tie with swagger. They had already steamrolled Juventus 5-2 to top Group G and brought a 12-match unbeaten streak stretching back to April. Pep Guardiola’s men wasted no time flexing their muscle. Just nine minutes in, Bernardo Silva found the net off a well-threaded pass, calmly slotting the ball past Al Hilal goalkeeper Habib.
Al Hilal, though, weren’t there for a photo-op. Runners-up to Real Madrid in Group H, they’d knocked out Mexico’s Pachuca earlier, showing signs they could punch above their weight. After Silva’s opener, City controlled possession, but the Saudi club slowly grew into the match. The real drama waited until the second half.
Second Half Fireworks and Streaming Buzz
Whatever coach Jorge Jesus said at halftime, it worked. Al Hilal roared to life just after the break. In the 48th minute, Marcos Leonardo slipped between City’s center backs to poke in the equalizer, stunning the English fans. The stadium hadn’t even quieted down before Malcom, once of Barcelona, rifled in a curling beauty six minutes later, suddenly putting Al Hilal ahead and turning the match on its head.
City responded by turning up the heat. In the 55th, Erling Haaland shrugged off his marker and smashed the ball home for his side’s second, erasing the deficit in less than ten minutes and setting up a frantic finish. Both sides threw men forward and let it fly, but neither could break through before the whistle, sending the match into extra time.
Millions tuned in worldwide through DAZN, eager for more twists. For fans in countries without direct coverage, VPNs like NordVPN were the go-to trick, letting them tap into streams as if sitting in London or Riyadh itself.
Extra time brought even more chaos. In the 101st minute, defender Kalidou Koulibaly powered a thumping header in off a corner, restoring Al Hilal’s advantage. But Phil Foden—on his 100th goal for City—leveled again with a clever run and ice-cold finish that once more yanked momentum back to the English side.
But Al Hilal just wouldn’t quit. In the 113th minute, Marcos Leonardo found space amid fading City legs, seized on a loose ball, and swept it past Ederson, putting the Saudi team up 4-3. As the clock wound down, Al Hilal’s defense scrambled and hustled, fending off desperate City attacks until the referee’s final whistle.
- Club World Cup fans across the globe hailed the match as one of the wildest upsets the tournament has ever seen.
- Al Hilal’s historic win sends them to a blockbuster quarter-final against Brazil’s Fluminense, while City exit with plenty of bruised egos.
- DAZN’s stream captured both agony and ecstasy, with social feeds blowing up as viewers reacted to the non-stop drama.
Al Hilal’s shock win isn’t just a triumph for Saudi football—it’s a warning that even Europe’s giants can’t sleepwalk through international cup play anymore.
July 1 2025 0
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