In the focus match of the 2025 Club World Cup round of 16, the Premier League giants Manchester City lost 3-4 to Al-Hilal with goals from Bernardo Silva, Haaland and Foden. Although they failed to advance to the quarterfinals, Guardiola said that he still saw many positive things that he had not seen in the past.

Nine minutes into the game, Ait Nouri made a cross from the penalty area, and the ball hit Gundogan before Bernardo Silva shot into the goal in the melee, helping Manchester City take the lead 1-0.

At the beginning of the second half, Marcos Leonardo scored a header to help Al-Hilal tie the score at 1-1. In the 52nd minute, Cancelo assisted Malcolm to score in the melee, helping Al-Hilal lead Manchester City 2-1. In the 55th minute, Bernardo Silva took a corner kick, and Haaland scored with a low shot in front of the goal, helping Manchester City tie the score at 2-2.

In the 104th minute of extra time, Rayan Sherki passed the ball to the penalty area, and Foden volleyed the ball into the goal, helping Manchester City to make the score 3 to 3. In the 112th minute, Milinkovic-Savic headed the ball but was blocked by Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson, and then Marcos Leonardo made a supplementary shot to score.

In the end, Manchester City was defeated 3-4 by Riyadh Crescent and failed to advance to the quarterfinals.

Manchester City coach Guardiola said in an interview, "At this stage, every game will be difficult. We allowed the opponent to counterattack, but we also created a lot of opportunities ourselves. The overall performance was actually good. This is a pity. We are in good shape, and I am very grateful to the coaching staff and staff for their training and preparation. They have done their best."

"We created a lot of dangers in the game, but Al-Hilal goalkeeper Bounou made some incredible saves. Apart from that, there is nothing else. We need to go home and have a good rest, clear our minds, and then prepare for next season."

Guardiola also said, "I saw a lot of positive things that I hadn't seen before, especially our mentality and the relationship between the players and the staff. I felt that everyone was happy here, the training atmosphere was also very good, and the overall level of the game was really high."

"The opponent's defense is very deep, and Bono repeatedly resolved the threat. So the team must seize the scoring opportunities and be more decisive."

On the other hand, Manchester City will go to Molineux to challenge Wolves in the first round of the 2025/26 Premier League and start a new journey to win the championship.