Fluminense secured their spot in the quarter-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup with a convincing 2-0 victory over UEFA Champions League runners-up Inter Milan during their round of 16 encounter at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Despite not registering a single shot on target in their previous goalless group match, high pressing against Inter paid off early as Fluminense found the net within three minutes.
After winning possession in the opposing half, Jhon Arias delivered a cross from the right that took a significant deflection, setting up German Cano to nod home with ease.
Inter’s first serious attempt came in the 11th minute when Federico Dimarco forced a solid save from Fabio after receiving a well-timed cutback from Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
This opportunity marked the beginning of a period of dominance for the Nerazzurri, who controlled the ball for nearly 20 minutes. However, they struggled to penetrate the organised Fluminense defence. After half an hour, Fluminense made a push of their own, with Arias unleashing a shot from 25 yards that Yann Sommer could only parry, but Samuel Xavier failed to convert the follow-up, dragging his shot wide from close range.
At the other end, Dimarco was still the primary threat, and he tested Fabio again with a low free-kick just moments before Fluminense thought they had doubled their lead.
Some intricate head passes led Ignacio to a position where he could finish with a header, but he was flagged offside as the ball was played to him.
For Cristian Chivu’s side, it was a disheartening statistic that their opponents had not conceded a goal in the second half of their last seven matches, a trend that appeared destined to continue as Inter struggled for shots after the break, with Stefan de Vrij’s wayward attempt from distance being their only effort in the opening 15 minutes.
Arias continued to try his luck from range, and his curling effort required a fingertip save from Sommer to divert it around the post.
Inter supporters were temporarily lifted when the match approached its final stages, as Lautaro Martínez’s flicked header set up De Vrij, but he failed to find the target from mere inches out.
With ten minutes remaining, Martínez made his presence felt for Inter, yet saw two attempts saved by Fabio and another hit the woodwork.
The Italians pushed hard for an equaliser in the dying moments, but this left space for Hercules to break free and secure Fluminense’s second goal.
Moreover, Renato Gaúcho’s squad celebrated their third clean sheet in the tournament, extending their unbeaten streak to 10 matches.
For Inter, this marks a disappointing conclusion as they have now lost both competitive encounters against Brazilian teams without scoring, and will now return home to focus on the upcoming campaign.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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