After Inter Milan, Simone Inzaghi: Fluminense beats Al-Hilal, it’s semifinal
After Inter Milan, Simone Inzaghi is also beaten. Fluminense won the semifinals of the Club World Cup by defeating 2-1 the’Al-Hilal led precisely by the’former coach of the Nerazzurri yet defeated by the Brazilians in the round of 16. Great bitterness for the Piacenza coach, who had partially avenged the defeat in the 2023 Champions League final eliminating in the previous round none other than Manchester City.
In the quarterfinals, on the other hand, the Saudis’start is rather complicated, with Fluminense controlling operations while not sinking the blow. Then in the 40′ the first, big episode of the match occurs: Cancelo gets it all wrong on a deflection, allowing Martinelli to pounce on the ball and dump it into the net. Then as time expired, Fabio saves everything on Koulibaly and the VAR takes away from Al-Hilal a penalty that the referee had awarded.
Resumption at a completely different pace for Simone Inzaghi’s men, who for most of the second half took the lead and seemed to be able to turn the tide of their match. So as early as 51′ came the equalizer, thanks to Koulibaly’s bank on a corner and especially to Marcos Leonardo’s intervention, who tapped into the net. Al-Hilal’s domination lasted about half an hour, then at 70′ it was Hercules who gave the semifinal to Fluminense, with a goal of great stubbornness after a first chance bricked by the opponent’s rearguard.
The same man who had scored the decisive goal to eliminate Inter’s side then turns out to be decisive, despite Simone Inzaghi attempting everything in a finish that could give his Al-Hilal side a different fate. Nothing really relevant happens anymore, however, and Fluminense withstands the opposing forcing and continues its adventure on U.S. soil.
