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According to the Opta Club Power Index, Manchester City are fourth in the world, while Al Hilal are 70th. Although Al Hilal are the top team in Asia, they are not typically seen as a rival to European powerhouses like Man City. However, the match showed that Al Hilal were not inferior to their opponent. In terms of dangerous chances, Al Hilal created more than Manchester City (7 compared to 6), according to statistics from Fotmob.

The match began with controversy in the 9th minute when Bernardo Silva scored a goal following a deflection. Silva’s shot was set up after the ball struck the biceps of his teammate, Rayan Ait-Nouri. The ball then found Silva, who calmly sent a shot into the net. While City dominated the first half with seven shots on target, the second half saw a major shift.

Al Hilal wasted no time in the second half, equalizing just 42 seconds after the restart. City goalkeeper Ederson made a save on Nasser Al Dawsari’s shot and a tap-in attempt by Malcom was blocked. The ball found Marcos Leonardo, who easily headed it into the net to make it 1-1.

In the 52nd minute, Al Hilal took the lead. Former City player Joao Cancelo cleared the ball from deep in his own half to Malcom, who sprinted down the field and slotted past Ederson into the far corner to give Al Hilal a 2-1 lead.

Manchester City responded quickly. Three minutes later, a scramble from a corner kick allowed Erling Haaland to find the back of the net with a left-footed shot through the legs of Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, making it 2-2.

With no further goals in regular time, the game went into extra time. In the fourth minute, Kalidou Koulibaly scored a header to give Al Hilal a 3-2 lead.

City responded 10 minutes later when substitute Phil Foden slotted in a goal after an inch-perfect assist from Rayan Cherki, bringing the score to 3-3.

The decisive moment came after a header from Sergej Milinkovic was saved by Ederson. The ball found Leonardo for the rebound, and he knocked it into the open net to give Al Hilal the winning goal.

Leonardo scored a brace, but the hero of the match was Al goalkeeper Bounou, who made an impressive 10 saves.

Al Hilal will face Fluminense in the quarterfinals on Friday, after the Brazilian side defeated Inter Milan 2-0 on Monday.