Al Hilal have advanced to the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup after overcoming Man City in Orlando on Monday night.
The Saudi Pro League side entered the contest as underdogs but would come away with a 4-3 win after extra time, leaving Bernardo Silva to rue Man City’s issues with controlling transitions, a problem that remains from last season.
Many Man City fans have criticised Ederson for his role in the defeat, but the Brazilian cannot be the only one blamed, as many players played their role in the Premier League giants’ surprise exit from the competition.
The father of one Man City star seems to believe Al Hilal won the contest themselves, stating that the Saudi Pro League club were ‘deserved’ winners over the Manchester club.
Erling Haaland of Manchester City v Al-Hilal at the FIFA Club World Cup.
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Alf-Inge Haaland believes Al Hilal deserved to beat Man City
Erling Haaland played his part against Al Hilal as the Norwegian star scored the equaliser, which helped take the match to extra time, while increasing his tally at Man City to 124 goals and 21 assists across 146 appearances, having joined the Manchester club as part of a £51m deal in 2022.
The 24-year-old will be looking to bounce back after his worst season in a Man City shirt last time round, and Gary Lineker is excited to see how Haaland and Rayan Cherki work together at the Etihad Stadium.
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The Norwegian’s father took to social media after Man City’s defeat to Al Hilal to comment on the setback suffered by Pep Guardiola’s squad, with the former City star stating: “Nice tournament, deserved winner today. Rest and get ready for PL”.
Many Man City fans will disagree with this, given the amount of chances their team created, but others will argue that the scoreline never lies and that Al Hilal took advantage of weaknesses in Guardiola’s team.
The Spanish coach will be disappointed by the way Man City exited the Club World Cup; however, the legendary coach is happy with many things he saw from his team.
Pep Guardiola during Manchester City vs Al-Hilal.
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Pep Guardiola happy with Man City’s Club World Cup campaign
With the way the tournament was developing, Guardiola would have felt that his team had a great chance of winning the FIFA Club World Cup before suffering defeat to Al Hilal; however, the Spaniard seemed positive in the aftermath, stating that he saw good things from his squad over recent weeks.
“I have the feeling that the team is doing well, but we go home and now time to rest and refresh our minds and come back next season,” Guardiola told mancity.com.
“I saw many good things that I didn’t see in the past, especially how we were, the relations between the players and the staff. I felt we were happy here, and the sessions were really good, but the levels here are so high.
“The chances we had, they defended so deep and Bounou made a lot of saves, but you have to score and be so clinical.”
Guardiola’s next task is to have his team ready for their Premier League opener against Wolves on August 16, and only then will the rest of English football get a glimpse of how City may look throughout the 2025/26 campaign.