Fluminense Holds On Against Al Hilal to Secure Spot in Club World Cup Semi-Finals

In a closely contested match between the last two runners-up of the FIFA Club World Cup, Fluminense triumphed over Al Hilal with a 2-1 victory, thereby securing their place in the semi-finals.

Both teams had previously recorded surprising victories to reach this stage and enjoyed moments of neat passing in the opening 15 minutes, although neither side posed a significant threat to each other’s goal.

Nonito had a chance created by Jhon Arias but couldn’t find the target, while at the other end, a strike from Nasser Al-Dawsari was deflected by Ignácio.

Despite maintaining defensive strength, it had its drawbacks as Renan Lodi and Juan Freytes both received yellow cards just before the cooling break, putting their availability for the semi-finals in doubt, depending on the outcome of the game.

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Fluminense made a decisive impact in the 40th minute, scoring the first shot on target when Matheus Martinelli capitalised on Gabriel Fuentes’ pass after a deflection off Facundo Bernal’s toe. Although initially frustrated, Bernal’s assist led to joyous celebrations after Martinelli found the top corner.

Martinelli’s celebrations were somewhat muted as he received a booking three minutes later, which would rule him out of the next round. However, Fluminense breathed a sigh of relief just before the interval when Fábio executed a magnificent save against Kalidou Koulibaly, and a VAR review overturned a penalty decision against Samuel Xavier.

Upon resumption, Al Hilal intensified their efforts and were rewarded within six minutes, as Marcos Leonardo expertly controlled Koulibaly’s header from Rúben Neves’ corner and fired it into the net from near the six-yard box.

Yassine Bounou then denied Germán Cano, cleverly neutralising a potential threat and ensuring Fluminense couldn’t regain their lead.

Moteb Al-Harbi later blazed a wild attempt high over the bar following a poorly managed corner from Neves, but Fluminense quickly regained the initiative just moments after that misfire.

In the 70th minute, Hercules had an ambitious shot blocked, but he reacted quickly to head in a precise finish from Xavier’s flick-on.

A cooling break followed, but Fluminense continued to apply pressure, with Xavier’s powerful shot being saved by Bounou, although the right-back had to leave the pitch due to injury.

Despite the absence of key players, Fluminense successfully managed Al Hilal’s persistent crosses and extended their remarkable unbeaten streak to 11 matches in all competitions, setting up a semi-final clash against either Palmeiras or Chelsea.

In doing so, they handed Al Hilal their first defeat in the last ten games.