Al-Ittihad’s FIFA Club World Cup hopes dashed by Al-Ahly

The home fans will point to a first half missed penalty from Karim Benzema as a turning point. (Reuters)
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Updated 16 December 2023
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Al-Ittihad’s FIFA Club World Cup hopes dashed by Al-Ahly

  • Though the game hung in the balance for an hour, the Egyptian side were too clinical for the reigning Saudi champions and eventually ran out 3-1 winners
  • Al-Ahly’s reward is a semi-final against Fluminense of Brazil on Monday, while Al-Ittihad’s focus shifts to three league games in the space of a week before the end of the year

Al-Ittihad’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign ended on Friday with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Al-Ahly in their second-round clash in Jeddah.

Thousands of the Egyptian side’s supporters were on their feet for much of the 90 minutes at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium, as their team ultimately proved to be too clinical for the reigning Saudi champions to cope with.

Al-Ittihad fans might point to Karim Benzema’s missed penalty in the first half as a turning point but the empty seats in the home section of the stadium when the final whistle sounded told their own story.

The reward for the African champions is a semi-final showdown with South American champions Fluminense of Brazil on Monday. Al-Ittihad, who defeated Auckland City from New Zealand 3-0 in the first round of the competition on Tuesday, return to league action on Dec. 23 with a home game against Al-Raed.

For the first hour on Friday the match hung in the balance, amid an atmosphere worthy of a meeting between the champions of Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Given the passionate level of support from the Al-Ahly fans, at times their players must have felt like they were playing at home.

The first half was played at a fast pace as both teams looked to get forward, even if they struggled to create clear chances. Romarinho had one of the best early on, from inside the area, forcing a good save from Mohammed El-Shenawy.

Al-Ahly were awarded a penalty in the 19th minute when Hassan Kadesh handled a long pass while under pressure from two Egyptian attackers. Despite the wall of yellow behind the goal, Ali Maaloul kept his cool and sent the ball straight down the middle past the diving Abdullah Al-Mayouf.

Seven minutes before the break, Benzema got sight of goal when a fine cross from Muhannad Al-Shanqiti found him on the left side of the area, but his low shot was straight at El-Shenawy.

As Al-Ittihad continued to push for an equalizer they left themselves open to a counterattack and were almost caught out, with Zakaria Al-Hawsawi forced to put the ball behind for a corner.

Before it could be taken, however, the referee was called to the monitor to check a possible earlier handball by Mohammed Abdelmonem and, after a review, he awarded a penalty to Al-Ittihad. Up stepped Benzema in front of a wall of red — and green laser beams shining into his eyes — but El-Shenawy went the right way to make a comfortable diving save.

Near the end of a dramatic first half, Al-Ahly almost scored a second when Kahraba latched onto a poor pass-back from Ahmed Hegazi, but Al-Mayouf was there to make the save.

Al-Ittihad effectively started the second half with two new full-backs. First, coach Marcelo Gallardo replaced Hawsawi with Ahmed Bamsaud at half time. Then, moments after the restart, right-back Al-Shanqiti seemed to pick up a hamstring injury and Madallah Al-Olayan took over.

Within minutes, the two-time Asian champions almost leveled the game. Igor Coronado slipped the ball through to Faisal Al-Ghamdi on the left side of the area, whose low shot squirmed through the legs of El-Shenawy but hit the post and rebounded into the grateful arms of the veteran goalkeeper.

Instead of 1-1, the score became 2-0 just before the hour mark. Hussein El-Shahat, who was making a record 13th appearance at the Club World Cup, had possession of the ball just inside the left corner of the area, made a little room for himself and then curled a delightful shot past the diving Al-Mayouf, sending the Egyptian fans wild.

The game was effectively over just two minutes later when Al-Ahly found huge gaps in the Al-Ittihad defense and Kharaba pulled the ball back from the byline for Emam Ashour to roll the ball home. There was a check for a possible foul in the build-up but the goal stood and that was that.

Al-Ahly took their foot off the gas at that point, their thoughts no doubt turning to their semi-final, but Anthony Modeste’s last-minute red card for an elbow on Hegazi might come back to haunt the team.

Soon after that, Benzema got Al-Ittihad’s consolation as he fired home from close range to claim his sixth Club World Cup goal.

The game will live long in the memories of Al-Ahly fans, as will the celebrations that followed. Al-Ittihad now need to regroup and bounce back on the domestic front, with three games coming up in the space of a week before the end of the year.


Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Updated 01 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

  • The Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about growth of its domestic game

MANCHESTER, England: The great Saudi Arabian football experiment is on full show at the Club World Cup.

The Kingdom, which is spending billions of dollars to become a major player in the world’s most popular sport, scored a big win on the field Monday when Al-Hilal beat Premier League giants Manchester City 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

It was a seismic result in football terms; possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and precisely the type of statement Saudi Arabia has wanted to make since embarking on a project that will ultimately see it stage the World Cup in 2034.

“We wanted to show that Al-Hilal has the talent, the power to be here,” said defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was among a slew of star players paid fortunes to leave Europe’s top clubs for the Saudi Pro League in recent years.

Superstar signings and ones that got away

The biggest of them all was Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed one of the most stunning moves in football history when joining Al-Nassr for a reported salary of up to $200 million a year in 2022. That deal prompted a spectacular recruitment drive by Saudi teams — backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund — and in came superstars like Neymar and Karim Benzema, while audacious attempts were made to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Confirmation that Saudi Arabia had won the right to host the World Cup came in December. On the field, the Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about the growth of its domestic game, which is largely unheralded outside of Asia.

It is likely why Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia’s most successful team — were so eager to make another marquee signing before the tournament began and tried, but failed, to lure Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

They pulled off a coup by hiring coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian arrived after leading Inter Milan to a second Champions League final in three seasons and he is already making a mark with his new team after drawing 1-1 against Real Madrid in the group stage and then beating City.

“We had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great,” Inzaghi said.

Saudi  football has faced doubts

The broader picture is what Al-Hilal’s run says about the standard of football in Saudi Arabia, which has been dismissed by some as a cash grab for players, who can earn far more than if they’d remained in Europe.

“Let’s see now if they will criticize us after these games,” said midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined Al-Hilal from Italian team Lazio. “It’s not like how they are speaking about the league.”

Despite recruiting so many players from Europe’s top clubs — including Champions League winners N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino — it is difficult to judge the quality of the Saudi league.

To put Al-Hilal’s run into context: While they may have won a record 19 league titles and four Asian championships, they are not the Saudi Arabia’s reigning national champion, having been beaten to the title by Benzema’s Al-Ittihad last season.

Another Saudi team, Al-Ahli, who count former Liverpool forward Firmino and ex-Manchester City winger Mahrez among their players, won the Asian Champions League this year.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is yet to win the title in three attempts with Al-Nassr — pointing to the depth of strength in the league.

Al-Hilal’s performances have also come despite releasing Brazil great Neymar in January and with leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic having played no part so far because of injury.

Can Al Hilal win the Club World Cup?

The question now is how far Al-Hilal can go.

Next up is Brazil’s Fluminense in the quarterfinals in Orlando on Friday.

City’s exit — along with Inter Milan’s defeat to Fluminense — has opened up that side of the draw, which also features Palmeiras and Chelsea.

On paper it looks like the favorable side of the draw, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on the other side. But the success of Brazilian teams has been another theme of the tournament and Al-Hilal will have to beat at least one more if they are to advance to the final.

Inzaghi, however, is used to overachieving. His two Champions League finals with Inter Milan came despite having an aging team and relying on savvy deals in the transfer market to pick up free agents and veteran players.

Inter’s victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of this year’s competition was one of the all-time classic contests — winning 7-6 on aggregate.

Al-Hilal’s impressive run has come after Inzaghi spent just one week training with the team before the tournament.

Even if they are eliminated in the next round, a quarterfinals appearance would represent an outstanding campaign for a team that was not expected to compete for the title.

Saudi Arabia’s investment in sport is undoubtedly paying off and Al-Hilal’s run is succeeding in raising the profile of its soccer league.


Al-Hilal ‘climb Mount Everest’ and shock world with stunning win over Manchester City at Club World Cup

Updated 01 July 2025
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Al-Hilal ‘climb Mount Everest’ and shock world with stunning win over Manchester City at Club World Cup

  • Epic 4-3 win in Orlando prompts widespread acclaim for Simone Inzaghi’s tactics and players’ never-say-die attitude

DUBAI: Al-Hilal proved once again that few clubs in Asia, or even the world, are capable of hitting seemingly unreachable heights after a stunning 4-3 win against Manchester City in the round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup.

Simone Inzaghi’s team trailed at half-time in Orlando to Bernardo Silva’s opener, but stormed back after the break to take the lead with strikes from Brazilians Marco Leonardo (46 minutes) and Malcolm (52).

Erling Haaland leveled the score minutes later to ensure the match went into extra time. Then Kalidou Koulibaly’s 94th-minute third for Hilal was cancelled by substitute Phil Foden 10 minutes later.

The stage was set for Leonardo to score an emotional winner with 8 minutes left on the clock.

In the aftermath of the victory, Al-Hilal’s official account on X posted a video clip of the players celebrating in the dressing room with club President Fahad bin Nafel.

 

 

Al Jazeera commented that “Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal have sent English giants Manchester City crashing out of the Club World Cup, snatching a shock 4-3 victory in extra time in the biggest upset of the tournament so far.”

For “all City’s depth, Al-Hilal had a deep well of spirit to draw upon,” Al Jazeera added, highlighting the Riyadh club’s powers of recovery against one of the world’s best teams.

The BBC reported that the former Premier League champions had been “stunned in extra time by Saudi Arabia side Al-Hilal in an incredible seven-goal thriller.” And that Leonardo had delivered a “monumental result for the 2021 AFC Champions League winners.”

In his match report for the UK’s The Guardian newspaper, Jamie Jackson highlighted the job the new Hilal coach has done in such a short period and in challenging circumstances.

“Inzaghi took over four days after Inter’s 5-0 Champions League thrashing by Paris Saint-Germain,” the report said.

“He left an Italian giant for a Saudi one but before taking on Real Madrid in the group opener had only two weeks to implement his ideas, a central plank of which is the favored five-man backline he fielded here.

He added that the 1-1 draw against “the European aristocrats in his first game was an eye-catching calling card” but here Inzaghi was without his captain, Salem Al-Dawsari, and No. 9, Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Inzaghi himself said the key to the result was “the players, the heart they put on the pitch.”

“Tonight we had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are,” the Italian coach said. “We knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and we were great.”

 

 

“We played with a strong determination and we are really feeling the game. They deserved it,” Inzaghi added. “They fought for every ball and it gives satisfaction to the family of Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia and the fans here with us.”

The former Inter Milan coach’s tactics were lauded by fans and pundits on social media.

On X, football analyst Roger Bonet wrote: “Hats off to Simone Inzaghi again. Only a few weeks of work, yet Al-Hilal looks sharp and confident.”

One X account, @sportsdokitor, posted that “Simeone Inzaghi is one of the best managers in the world and he’s proving it again at Al-Hilal,” while another was even more effusive with praise.

@ChelseaWay_  posted: “I genuinely don’t think (I’ve) ever seen a manager put his stamp on a team as quick as Simone Inzaghi did with Al-Hilal. This is (genuinely) ridiculous.

“I am watching them this tournament, and their patterns of play, movements, pressing structure, link up in small spaces.”

Meanwhile Al-Hilal match winner Leonardo received praise across the board for his return to form after a difficult recent period at the club.

“I’ve had a difficult time in the last two months. My mother spent 70 days in the ICU,” he said at the final whistle. “Today, she’s fine, thank God. When I scored those two goals, I thought of her. She was able to watch the match.”

 

 

Arab football fans and accounts hailed the result and Al-Hilal’s performances at the Club World Cup.

Bilal Haddad (@bilalhd91), with 4.1 million followers on Instagram, posted an Arabic-language video in which he disbelievingly says “am I dreaming or is this real.”

Also on Instagram, Arab football fan @fayadzinho did not hold back his joy.

“The Saudi league just embarrassed the Premier League, yes Al-Hilal have done it. I’ve been waiting for this day for more than 11 years,” he said in an emotional video clip.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Fayad (@fayadzinho)

 

Even Hilal’s greatest rivals Al-Nassr joined in.

“Al-Hilal is demonstrating to the world the strength and quality of the Saudi Pro League,” @TheNassrZone, with almost 69,000 followers, posted on X.

“Their performance reflects the league’s rising prominence and commitment to excellence. A well-deserved salute to them for elevating Saudi football even more on the international stage.”


Al-Hilal oust Manchester City from Club World Cup in extra time

Updated 01 July 2025
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Al-Hilal oust Manchester City from Club World Cup in extra time

Marcos Leonardo scored his second goal of the match in the 112th minute to give Al-Hilal a 4-3 upset victory over Manchester City on Monday night in Orlando, sending the Saudi Arabian side into the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup.
Malcom and Kalidou Koulibaly also scored for Al-Hilal, who got 10 saves from goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Al-Halil will meet Fluminense on Friday at Orlando. The Brazilian side beat Inter Milan 2-0 earlier Monday.
Bernardo Silva, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden were the goal-scorers for Manchester City.
The decisive goal came after Sergej Milinkovic’s header was stopped by Ederson for the Manchester City goalie’s second and final save of the match.
The ball then hit off Leonardo to the left front of the goal line, and he knocked the ball into the open net with his right foot to give Al-Hilal the lead.
Koulibaly scored on a header to give Al-Hilal a 3-2 lead in the fourth minute of extra time.
Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves took a corner kick, and Koulibaly leaped and flicked the ball to the left of Ederson.
Manchester City had two strong chances late in the second half of regulation time.
Off a corner kick in the 84th minute, Manuel Akanji sent a header that hit off the right goalpost. Haaland was there for a potential tap-in, but Al-Hilal’s Ali Lajami cleared the ball before it crossed the line.
One minute later, Ruben Dias delivered a hard fight-footed blast from outside the box that Bounou knocked over the crossbar with his right hand.
Al-Hilal received goals from Leonardo and Malcom in the first seven minutes of the second half to turn a one-goal halftime deficit into a 2-1 lead.
It took just 42 seconds into the half for Al-Hilal to get the equalizer.
City goalkeeper Ederson stopped a left-footed shot from Nasser Al Dawsari, and a rebound attempt by Malcom was blocked by a defender. The ball went directly to Leonardo, who easily headed it into the net.
Al-Hilal moved ahead in the 52nd minute on a breakaway. Former City player Joao Cancelo cleared the ball ahead from deep in his own end up to Malcom, who dribbled in and drilled a left-footed shot past Ederson and inside the far post to give Al-Hilal a 2-1 lead.
Just three minutes later, Manchester City tied the match off a corner kick. Haaland attempted a header that barely glanced off him, but the ensuing scramble led to the ball coming back his way, and Haaland sent a left-footed shot through Bounou’s legs.
Manchester City dominated the first half and had a 7-0 edge in shots on target while holding the 1-0 halftime lead.
Silva’s goal in the ninth minute was controversial as the ball hit off the right biceps of teammate Rayan Ait-Nouri. An ensuing pass saw the ball deflected, and it caromed in the direction of Silva, who sent a left-footed shot into the left corner of the net.
Al-Hilal players vehemently argued to no avail as the goal stood up.
Bounou repeatedly made big saves to keep Al-Hilal in the game. He was sprawled on the ground when he made a save with his left hand on Savinho in the 24th minute, and he thwarted Josko Gvardiol’s header six minutes later.
 


‘I take full responsibility’: Renard disappointed after Saudi exit from CONCACAF Gold Cup

Herve Renard has accepted responsibility for Saudi Arabia’s 2-0 loss to Mexico in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. (AN photo)
Updated 29 June 2025
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‘I take full responsibility’: Renard disappointed after Saudi exit from CONCACAF Gold Cup

  • Green Falcons 2-0 loss to Mexico in Arizona saw side leave tournament at quarterfinal stage

JEDDAH: Saudi coach Herve Renard expressed his disappointment and accepted the blame after his team’s 2-0 loss to Mexico, which saw them exit the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the quarterfinals.

“We did not perform at the (right) level, and the Mexican team deserved to win,” Renard said during the press conference following the match held in Arizona on Sunday morning.

“Sometimes the coach makes wrong decisions, and that’s part of football. I take full responsibility for today’s loss.”

He added: “We have to work on developing the offensive side of the national team, and we have benefited from our interactions with other teams during the tournament.

“We were lucky that Mexico did not play at 100 percent. I asked the players to put pressure on their defense, but we did not do it well and kept the ball.”

The French coach said that his time with the players was fruitful in terms of gaining experience, but admitted that the team failed to perform at its best during the crucial match. Focus will now shift to preparing well for the World Cup playoffs, Renard said.


Gold Cup: Mexico into semifinals with shutout of Saudi Arabia

Updated 29 June 2025
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Gold Cup: Mexico into semifinals with shutout of Saudi Arabia

Defending champion Mexico found the scoring touch in the second half and advanced to the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals with a 2-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Saturday night in Glendale, Arizona
Mexico will face Honduras in the semifinals Wednesday in Santa Clara, California Honduras ousted Panama after a 1-1 draw in regulation with a 5-4 edge in penalty kicks in a quarterfinal earlier Saturday in Glendale.
Alexis Vega got Mexico on the board in the 49th minute after his initial shot was stopped by Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi. Vega put in the rebound and the goal was confirmed following a VAR review that there was no offside violation.
Abdullah Madu of Saudi Arabia tried to reroute Mexico’s crossing pass in the 81st minute, but he instead put it past his goalie for an own goal and a 2-0 deficit.
Mexico controlled 60.3 percent of the possession time against Saudi Arabia and that was reflected in more shot attempts (18-1), shots on goal (5-0) and corner kicks (7-2).
Saudi Arabian goalkeeper Al-Aqidi made four saves, while Mexico’s Angel Malagon had none.
Mexico had advanced through the group stage with a 3-2 win over the Dominican Republic, a 2-0 shutout of Suriname and a scoreless draw with Costa Rica to win Group A with seven points.
Saudi Arabia defeated Haiti 1-0, lost to the United States 1-0 and tied Trinidad and Tobago 1-1 to finish second in Group D.