City's "disappointment," Guardiola's lament after World Cup criticism, and a 74 million deficit: "There's a lot of talent here."

"I feel like the team is doing well, but we're going home. Now it's time to rest and refresh our minds before coming back next season." Pep Guardiola looked unenthusiastic in the press room at Camping World Stadium in Orlando , where Manchester City suffered the biggest shock of the tournament when they were defeated in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup by Al Hilal . It was a crazy game in which seven goals were scored and which was decided in extra time, and where the British felt yet another disappointment in an already inconsistent season.

The defeat against the Saudi team is the third of the season for City, who fell in the Champions League playoff against Madrid and are now thirteen points behind Liverpool in the fight for the Premier League .

"We've had a lot of frustrations in the past, and we still managed to turn things around. It's a disappointment , but we'll try again. We have to work very hard," said Bernardo Silva , who scored the game's first goal. The goal put City ahead and seemed to put the night back on track, but it turned into a nightmare. After the break, Marcos Leonardo and Malcom turned the game around in just a few minutes, and Haaland leveled the scoreline again, which would ultimately take place in extra time. Guardiola, who had brought on Rodri in the 53rd minute, withdrew the Spaniard in extra time and also left the Norwegian striker out of the game for the final stretch, leaving the team in the hands of Cherki and Foden .

There, City trembled. They dominated the ball but suffered on every counterattack from Al Hilal, a physical force well coached by Simone Inzagui , a finalist in the last Champions League with Inter Milan. Koulibaly put the Saudis ahead again, Foden tied the game, and Marcos Leonardo scored the fourth and decisive goal for Al Hilal to achieve the Saudi miracle in Orlando.

"We created some good chances, but Bono made some incredible saves . There's nothing more to say. I thought we could have gone through, honestly. I saw a lot of good things I hadn't seen before, especially in the relationship between the players and the coaching staff. I feel like we were happy and the training sessions were very good, but the level here is very high," insisted Guardiola, who had criticized this new Club World Cup in recent days.

"November, December, or January could be a disaster. We'll be exhausted, and the World Cup will have destroyed us ," he warned ahead of the round of 16 regarding the consequences the tournament could have on his team's future fitness.

Analyzing City's defeat, the Catalan coach admitted that " it's a shame ." "We were in a good position. I don't want to forget to thank the staff for how they trained and prepared for the tournament; they gave everything. At this stage, every game is difficult, and we allowed them to create too many transitions," lamented the Santpedor native.

The British have spent 342 million on eight signings since January, but they seem to be struggling to find the rhythm that made them the best team in Europe in the 2022-2023 season.

"I've had a lot of disappointments and a lot of joys in my career, so no matter what happens in this competition, in a month when the Premier League starts we'll forget about this and focus on having a great season," said Silva, who admitted that "yes, it's a bit like losing in the Champions League."

City now heads off on vacation with a small hole in their pockets. After three wins in the first round and after falling in the round of 16, the English side will receive €52.4 million . €38.9 million for the fixed fee, the second highest of all participants after Madrid, €2 million for each win in the United States, and €7.5 million for reaching the round of 16.

But it could have been much more. FIFA awards 13.1 million to the quarter-finalists , 21 million to the semi-finalists , 30 million to the runners-up, and 40 million to the winner. Under normal circumstances and looking at the table, City should, given their level of quality, have at least reached the semi-finals, earning an additional 44 million, 74 million if they had won the final on July 13 in New Jersey. "We had a lot of ambition for this Club World Cup ; we wanted to win. We took it very seriously and didn't want to lose," admitted Bernardo Silva. Another disappointment in an unexpected season.