Manchester City 3–4 Al Hilal Player Ratings: Leonardo Rated 8.5/10 as Al Hilal Knock Out Man City to Pull Off The Biggest Upset of FIFA Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup Round of 16 fixture between Al Hilal and Manchester City took us to Florida. With a spot in the quarter final at stake, the Man City vs Al-Hilal clash emerged as a thrilling affair, and the Saudi Pro League club had the last laugh, securing a 4-3 victory in extra time. Now, Al Hilal will face Fluminense, who overcame Inter Milan to seal a quarter-final entry. The City vs Al Hilal fixture appeared one-sided initially, with Bernardo Silva scoring an early goal in the ninth minute to give the Premier League giants a crucial lead. But, Al Hilal boss Simone Inzaghi seemed determined to take revenge for the UEFA Champions League 2023 final defeat against Pep Guardiola.

Marcos Leonardo equalized for Al Hilal only 46 seconds into the second half before Malcom made the Man City vs Al Hilal score 2-1. The joy, however, didn't last long as Erling Haaland made it all square for Manchester City in the 55th minute. As the CWC 2025 match ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, the game headed into extra time. Again, Al Hilal drew the first blood, thanks to Koulibaly's impressive header. That's when Phil Foden stepped up for Man City and brought them back into the contest. Though a tie breaker looked almost certain, Marcos Leonardo scored from a rebound to hand the Saudi side an all-important lead in the dying moments of the Al Hilal vs Man City FIFA Club World Cup game. Before going forward to the quarter-finals, let's take a look at the Man City vs Al Hilal Player Ratings:

Manchester City Player Ratings

Here are Manchester City Player Ratings from the Man City vs Al Hilal match:

Goalkeeper

Ederson - 5.5/10

The veteran Brazilian custodian, Ederson, should have cleared the ball properly to deny the first goal. His clearance landed an opportunity for City to equalise affairs.

Defenders

Matheus Nunes - 6.5/10

The Portuguese midfielder was completely outplayed by Malcom, who made all the runs from the flanks to exploit and penetrate into the City's defence.

Ruben Dias - 7.5/10

The Portuguese defender looked frustrated and aggravated at his teammates after a horrible defensive performance and a deflection from his body saw the Saudi giants score a goal.

Josko Gvardiol - 7/10

The Croatian defender, Gvardiol, was subbed off quickly after City conceded the second goal of the game.

Rayan Ait Nouri - 7.5/10

The Algerian left-back came from the Wolves, was the primary architect behind the first goal. His combination play in the Al Hilal's D box was brilliant as Silva buried the ball into the back of the net.

Midfielders

Bernardo Silva - 8.5/10

Bernardo Silva stood out in the Man City vs Al Hilal Player ratings. The Portuguese midfield maestro made no mistake in taking a shot correctly from so close and converting that into a goal for City in just 9 minutes.

Tijjani Reijnders - 7/10

The Dutch midfielder, Reijnders, who recently made a move from AC Milan, had a decent outing tonight

Ilkay Gundogan - 8/10

Gundogan also had a great outing in the Man City vs Al-Hilal SFC game. The German international showed his expertise and maturity to provide stability in the midfield to City.

Strikers

Savinho - 7/10

The young Brazilian centre forward looked agile from the right flank.

Jeremy Doku - 8/10

The young Belgian prodigy was outstanding with his runs and dribbles to get the better of Al Hilal's defence.

Erling Haaland - 8/10

The Norwegian superstar and the heartbeat of City's attack. Erling Haaland scored when it mattered the most to equalise the Al Hilal vs Man City score 2-2 in the 55th minute.

Substitutes

SUB - Manuel Akanji - 7.5/10

The Swiss defender brought in stability in the defence after the team looked out of shape post-conceding the second goal.

SUB - Nathan Ake - 7/10

Ake did a good job of blocking Bounou's view during the set piece, which led Haaland to find the back of the net easily.

SUB - Rodri- 7/10

SUB - Phil Foden - 8/10

Foden scored a goal in the 104th minute to equalise affairs for City.

SUB - Omar Marmoush - 6.5/10

SUB - Rayan Cherki - 7/10

Manager

Pep Guardiola - 7/10

Unarguably the best manager in world football today, Pep Guardiola struggled to control the tempo against Al Hilal despite scoring first. His subs were impactful.

Al Hilal Player Ratings

Here are Al Hilal player ratings from Man City vs Al Hilal game:

Goalkeeper

Yassine Bounou - 7.5/10

The Moroccan custodian, Bounou, did a valiant job of taking on City's strong attacking lineup. His vital saves were crucial to keep Al Hilal Saudi club in the game.

Defenders

Joao Cancelo - 8.5/10

The former Manchester City player was playing against his former side. His assist for Leonardo's goal saw Alhilal FC equalise the score in the first minute of the second half. He was a nightmare for his former side.

Kalidou Koulibaly - 7.5/10

Kalidou Koulibaly, a former Chelsea defender, did well to absorb the pressure despite repetitive attacks from City strikers.

Renan Lodi - 7.5/10

The Brazilian defender was flexibly switching roles and looked quite calm on the pitch.

Moteb Al Harbi - 6.5/10

The Saudi defender was seen pouring his heart and soul into taking the match into extra time after City threw in everything to score the winner.

Midfielders

Ruben Neves - /10

Ruben Neves was deployed as a defensive midfielder mainly tonight.

Malcom - 8.5/10

The Brazilian midfield maestro was epic tonight, and his runs from the flanks and the run towards the goal were magical to take Al Hilal into the lead for the first time.

Sergej Milinkovic Savic - 7.5/10

The Serbian midfielder provided the much-needed stability in the midfield to Simone Inzaghi's side.

Mohamed Kanno - 7/10

The Saudi Arabian international had a decent game and was subbed off in the 83rd minute.

Nasser Al Dawsari - 6/10

The 26-year-old midfielder had an average outing tonight as City dominated the central midfield region.

Strikers

Marcos Leonardo - 8.5/10

The young Brazilian centre forward, Marcos Leonardo, just needed to bury the header correctly into the goal, and he did that right into the empty net and also scored the winner in the 112th minute.

Substitutes

SUB - Lajami - 7.5/10

He made a world-class goal-line clearance in the last few minutes to save Al Hilal from the brink of an exit.

SUB - Kaio Cesar - 6/10

The Brazilian striker was brought in early at the hour mark to make an impact.

SUB -Al Bulayhi- 6/10

SUB - Al Yami - 7/10

SUB -- NA

Manager

Simone Inzaghi - 8.5/10

The manager who took Inter to the UCL finals twice, Simone Inzaghi, showed his pure class and tactical ingenuity to get the better of Manchester City FC and take this match into extra time.