Fluminense continued their brilliant run in the FIFA Club World Cup as they sprung another surprise, this time defeating Saudi Arabian giant Al-Hilal to make their way into the semifinals with a 2-1 win.
The Brazilian underdogs struck first with Matheus Martinelli finding the top right corner with his left-foot strike to open the scoring sheets. Al-Hilal, who had shocked Manchester City in the round of 16, bounced back with Marcus Leonardo finding the back of the net six minutes after the half-time.
Hercules came in for Martinelli in the second half and he struck in the 70th minute, firing one into the bottom corner to score the winner. Thiago Silva, the Al-Hilal captain reflected on the win. "If you asked me a while ago whether we would reach this stage, a semi-final, I wouldn't say I wouldn't believe it because I believe in everything that I do, but it was so far away from us," said captain Thiago.
"Many people didn't believe in our potential, in our team, but each game and each step we proved we can be tough," Martinelli said, who received a yellow card after his goal and will miss the semi-final.
Chelsea overcome Palmeiras test
Meanwhile, Chelsea defeated Palmeiras in the second quarterfinal by 2-1, thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and an own goal from Agustin Giay. The 23-year-old Palmer scored his first goal in the Club World Cup, slipping the ball inside the far post.
Estêvão, the 18-year-old who will move to Chelsea this summer, brought the parity back with an angled shot in the 53rd minute. Malo Gusto's 83rd-minute shot following a short corner kick seemingly deflected off defender Agustin Giay and goalkeeper Weverton. Giay was credited with the own goal in the 83rd minute as Chelsea won the clash. Chelsea will now face underdogs Fluminense in one of the two semifinals.
