Gianni Infantino will particularly savor his coffee this Tuesday morning. Mocked/torpedoed by all the Europe of football since the start of this new World Cup of the clubs which it has so much pushed, both due to the annoying 10-0 of Bayern Munich against Auckland City in chickens, then the qualifying by whistling in the round of 16 of the PSG (4-0 in front of the Inter Miami of Leo Messi) and Bayern (4-2 against Fifa), the Boss of Fifa) revenge.
Because the session of the 8th finals on Monday evening proved to be stunning, with the key two monumental surprises. Finalist of the Champions League 2025, Inter Milan was thus eliminated by the Brazilians of Fluminense (0-2), while Manchester City ended up yielding against the Saudis of Al-Hilal, after an incredible scenario (3-4 after prolongation). Suffice to say that European football, certainly exhausted by an extended club season, is KO in this part of the table of the World Cup, with Chelsea as the only representative of the quarters, alongside Palmeiras, Fluminense and Al-Hilal.
“Show the world that Al-Hilal has the talent to be here”
Like a nod of this confusing “new football”, the Italian coach of Al-Hilal Simone Inzaghi was unleashed following the feat of his players against the Manchester City of Pep Guardiola, only a month after being struck by the rout of his Inter in the C1 final against PSG (0-5). In Orlando, in the 112nd minute of a completely crazy extension, the Brazilian Marcos Leonardo filled with happiness al-Hilal by scoring the goal of qualification, confirming the promising null initial against Real Madrid (1-1).
Suffice to say that faced with the Saudi sensation of the competition, this City hiccup, which had quickly opened the scoring by Bernardo Silva (10th), will have trouble going on the side of its owner Émirati Khaldon Al Mubarak. If the former Lyonnais Rayan Cherki, who came into play in the 90th minute on Monday, offered himself a sublime decisive pass towards Phil Foden for the equalization of Cityzens (3-3, 114th), al-Hilal therefore had the last word.
Scorer and very solid, Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly was able to savor his own performance: “We knew that we were facing one of the best teams on the planet and we wanted to show the world that Al-Hilal has the talent and the mentality to be here. It is a fantastic feeling ”. And it was just as soon before for Fluminense, a fall of a pale inter Milan (2-0), in a desperately empty Bank of America Stadium (less than 20,000 spectators on the 74,000 seats on sale!).
Lautaro Martinez’s rant
German Cano (3rd) and Hercules (90th + 3) thus validated the qualification of the teammates of Thiago Silva (40) and goalkeeper Fabio, dean of the tournament with… his 44 years! Imperials throughout the meeting, the two Brazilian quadras notably extinguished an out of the time Marcus Thuram. This other thunderclap of the evening was accompanied by a hell of a media outing by Lautaro Martinez on Dazn.
Our file on the 2025 Club World Cup
“The message is clear: those who want to leave this club must leave, goodbye,” launched the emblematic Argentinian captain of Inter. I have no name to give, it is a general reflection. We were here to fight for a big goal and I saw a lot of things that I did not like it at all. I am the captain of this group who has obtained high respect on recent years and I want it to continue. Like what, the elimination of European tenors in this club World Cup which annoys a lot can generate funny strokes.
