"We created some good chances, but Bono made some fantastic saves. There's nothing more to say," Guardiola said after the match at Camping World Stadium, Florida, on 30/6/2025. "Man City showed many unprecedented positives, especially the relationship between the players and the coaching staff. We were happy and the training sessions were good, but the level of competition here is very high."

Pep Guardiola expresses disappointment after Man City's 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal at Camping World Stadium, Florida, on 30/6/2025. Photo: PM

Pep Guardiola expresses disappointment after Man City's 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal at Camping World Stadium, Florida, on 30/6/2025. Photo: PM

Man City were highly rated entering the tournament. Guardiola's team was the only one with a perfect record in the group stage, defeating Wydad 2-0, Al Ain 6-0, and Juventus 5-2. They were considered the second favorite by Opta's supercomputer, behind only PSG.

Guardiola's side opened the scoring in the 9th minute. However, they failed to capitalize on their chances, allowing the Saudi Arabian club to come back and take a 2-1 lead by the 52nd minute. From there, the match became a back-and-forth affair, with goals from Erling Haaland (55th minute) and Phil Foden (104th minute) for Man City, and Kalidou Koulibaly (94th minute) for Al Hilal. In the 112th minute, Marcos Leonardo's close-range finish sealed a 4-3 victory for the Asian representative, sending the former UEFA Champions League winners home.

"At this stage, every match is difficult. We allowed them to create too many transitions," Guardiola added. "It's a pity. We were in a good position."

This result compounds Man City's woes after a disappointing regular season. They won the Community Shield at the start of the season, but finished third in the Premier League, lost the FA Cup final, were eliminated in the fourth round of the League Cup, the Champions League playoffs, and now the round of 16 of the Club World Cup.

Man City's players will have a break until the end of July before returning to training for their 2025-2026 Premier League opener against Wolves on 16/8. "The team played well, but we're going home. Now is the time to rest and refresh so we can come back stronger next season," Guardiola concluded.

Al Hilal will face Fluminense, who defeated Inter Milan 2-0 in an earlier match, in the quarterfinals on 5/7. The winner will advance to the semifinals to play either Chelsea or Palmeiras.

Thanh Quy (according to Marca)