Fluminense 2-1 Al Hilal
Fluminense goals: Martinelli (40), Hercules (70)
Al Hilal goal: Marcos Leonardo (51)
Fluminense edged an end-to-end encounter with Al Hilal to reach the FIFA Club World Cup™ semi-finals. Renato Gaucho’s team will now take on the Palmeiras-Chelsea FC winners at MetLife Stadium in New York New Jersey on Tuesday.
The game exploded into life at the end of the first period. Martinelli cleverly touched a Gabriel Fuentes cut-back into his path, and arrowed an unstoppable drive into the top corner. Fabio then produced a superb save to deny a Kalidou Koulibaly, before the referee pointed to the spot after Marcos Leonardo went down. After a VAR review, however, Danny Makkelie decided that Samuel Xavier hadn’t committed a foul.
Marcos Leonardo was celebrating shortly after the restart. Koulibaly’s header from a corner hit him, and with Fabio having already dived in the other direction, the Brazilian seized his chance and hooked it home.
Flu should have been back ahead moments later. German Cano latched on to an underhit Renan Lodi back-pass and went clean through. He attempted to round Yassine Bounou, but the Al Hilal goalkeeper did wonderfully to slap the ball away with his outstretched arm.
There was nothing Bounou could do to prevent the winner, though. Hercules controlled the ball impeccably and struck home one of the most important goals in Fluminense’s 123-year history.
Michelob Ultra Superior Player of the Match
Hercules (Fluminense)
Quotes
“I knew the match would be very difficult. Very tight, very heated. I set up my squad the way we faced Inter. We controlled the match, we conceded the equaliser, but the players’ attitude and dedication were enough to get us through.”
Renato Gaucho, Fluminense coach
“I’m very happy, very proud of my team. It’s not easy to play this competition and reach the semi-finals. I could not have imagined this moment, but I’m very happy for the team and myself and with the performance. We stayed together the whole time.”
Thiago Silva, Fluminense defender to DAZN
