At the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the first quarter-final verdict of the Club World Cup is in: Fluminense have secured a spot in the semi-finals. The Brazilian side, who previously eliminated Inter in the Round of 16, overcame Al Hilal, coached by Simone Inzaghi, thanks to goals from Martinelli and Hercules. Marcos Leonardo had temporarily levelled the match, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Tricolor. Renato’s men will now face the winner of the Chelsea vs Palmeiras quarter-final.
The match between Fluminense and Al Hilal at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium carried significant emotional weight, beginning with a minute of silence to honour the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. The atmosphere was particularly heavy for Portuguese players Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, who were visibly affected.
The opening stages were subdued, shaped by both the sweltering Florida heat and cautious tactical approaches from both sides, who lined up in identical 3-5-2 formations. Al Hilal sought to dominate possession, while Fluminense sat back and looked to strike on the counter.
The breakthrough came in the 40th minute. A miscue by Cancelo gifted possession to Fuentes, who found Martinelli on the edge of the box. The midfielder controlled the ball and unleashed a powerful strike into the far top corner, giving the Brazilian side the lead. Al Hilal responded almost immediately with a Koulibaly header from a Neves free-kick, but Fabio made an outstanding save to preserve the advantage. Just before half-time, Al Hilal were briefly awarded a penalty for a challenge on Marcos Leonardo, but the decision was overturned after a VAR review deemed the contact minimal.
The first half ended 1–0 in favour of Fluminense after seven minutes of stoppage time.
Simone Inzaghi made tactical adjustments at the break, switching to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Malcom out wide and Milinkovic-Savic supporting Marcos Leonardo. Fluminense maintained their original setup, with Hercules replacing Martinelli.
The change paid off quickly. In the 51st minute, a Ruben Neves corner found Koulibaly at the far post, who headed it across goal for Marcos Leonardo to tap in from close range—his fourth goal of the tournament, tying him with Ángel Di María at the top of the scoring charts.
The match then opened up, with both sides abandoning earlier caution. Fluminense came close to regaining the lead when a defensive error from Lodi allowed Cano a one-on-one with Bonou, but the Moroccan goalkeeper stood firm.
Despite Al Hilal creating several dangerous moments, it was Fluminense who struck again. In the 70th minute, substitute Hercules intercepted the ball in midfield and attempted a long-range shot. Though initially blocked, the rebound fell to Xavier, who cleverly returned it to Hercules. The midfielder finished low into the corner to restore Fluminense’s lead, his second goal of the tournament after scoring against Inter.
Al Hilal pushed hard in the final 20 minutes, especially from set-pieces, but the Brazilian defence held firm. Goalkeeper Fabio made several key interventions as Fluminense booked their place in the semi-finals.
They will now face the winner between Chelsea and Palmeiras in the next round.
