Man City referee broke VAR protocol in Club World Cup defeat

Manchester City were eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup in Orlando, but not before the match referee broke VAR protocol and clarified his decision to award a goal amid the vehement protests of Al-Hilal players. Referees are obligated to inform the crowd when a decision has been reversed following a VAR review. However, no such announcement is necessary if the VAR agrees with the referee's initial decision.

This rule was overlooked during City's unexpected loss to the Saudi team on Tuesday morning, amid fierce objections from Al-Hilal players and fans. Bernardo Silva put City ahead early on by nudging the ball into the net from close quarters. Al Hilal players immediately disputed the goal, urging referee Jesus Valenzuela to look at the large screens displaying a replay of the goal, which showed the ball hitting Rayan Ait-Nouri on the arm in the lead-up to the goal.

However, the VAR had already scrutinised the goal, determining that the ball hit Ait-Nouri high enough on the arm for the goal to stand. Despite this, Al-Hilal and their supporters remained defiant and continued their protests.

Eventually, referee Jesus Valenzuela was compelled to explain his decision to the crowd over the PA system, even though he wasn't required to do so as his decision hadn't been overturned.

The turmoil finally settled after some clarification, leading to a surprising turn of events as Al Hilal went on to beat City in extra time in Orlando. Despite creating ample goalscoring opportunities, City succumbed to a 4-3 defeat after 120 minutes of play.

Pep Guardiola reflected: "It was a difficult game. We allowed them to make transitions we created a lot. It is a pity, we have been on incredible journey together and so good place.

"We were so open. When the crosses arrived, in the first action, they had the ability to pass the ball and attack and they have quick players. We created a lot and had a lot of chances against a team that defend so deep. They punished us on the transitions.

"The vibe was really good, I cannot thank Manchester City enough and especially the players for training and how they have been playing. The margins are minimal, they ran into transitions a bit, but we created a lot, Bono made incredible saves.

"We would have loved to have continued, only here once every four year, we had a feeling that the team is doing well but we go home and now it is time to rest and rest our minds for the new season.

"It is too early to say but so many good things I did not seen in the past. The relationship between the players, our captained helped a lot and the standards with staff."

Al-Hilal manager Simone Inzaghi stated: "I felt we were happy here, the training sessions have been really good but the level of this competition is the World Cup and we regret a little bit that we allowed them to run a bit more."

Following their shock victory, Inzaghi likened his team's achievement to "climbing Mount Everest without oxygen".