Fluminense booked their place in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Champions League finalists Inter Milan at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Although Fluminense failed to register a shot on target in their last group game, they started brightly this time, pressing Inter high and taking the lead just three minutes in. After winning the ball in Inter’s half, Jhon Arias sent in a cross that deflected kindly into the path of Germán Cano, who headed home.
Inter responded in the 11th minute, with Federico Dimarco forcing a solid save from goalkeeper Fábio after a clever cutback from Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The Italian side enjoyed a spell of possession, but couldn’t break down Fluminense’s defence. On the half-hour mark, Arias fired a long-range shot which was pushed away by Yann Sommer, only for Samuel Xavier to miss from close range. Dimarco remained Inter’s biggest threat, but Fábio saved his low free-kick.
Fluminense had the ball in the net again through Ignácio just before half-time, but his header was ruled out for offside.
Inter struggled to create chances in the second half, with a long-range effort from Stefan de Vrij their only attempt in the first 15 minutes. Arias continued to test Sommer, who had to stretch to keep out another curling strike.
Inter thought they might find a way back when Lautaro Martínez set up de Vrij in the six-yard box, but he couldn’t convert. Martínez had two more chances saved and saw one shot hit the post, but Fluminense stood firm.
In the closing minutes, Inter left gaps at the back, and Hércules took advantage to score Fluminense’s second. Renato Gaúcho’s side held on for their third clean sheet of the tournament and extended their unbeaten run to 10 games.
For Inter, this was their second competitive loss to a Brazilian team without scoring. They now turn their focus to the upcoming season.
