Two of the surprise teams of the FIFA Club World Cup will meet in Friday’s first quarterfinal between Al Hilal and Fluminense in Orlando, Fla.
Al Hilal pulled off the tournament’s single most notable upset so far, a 4-3 extra-time victory over English giants Manchester City on Monday.
Perhaps the result shouldn’t have been so surprising. With a payroll north of $200 million, the Saudi club includes several former stars from big European clubs, including former Man City defender Joao Cancelo. And they already earned a 1-1 draw with five-time Club World Cup champions Real Madrid during Group H play.
But even Al Hilal themselves recognized it would take an extraordinary effort to defeat an opponent that had won four of the previous five Premier League titles.
“Clearly tonight we had to do something extraordinary,” insisted manager Simone Inzaghi, who was hired before the tournament from Inter Milan, in translated remarks from his postgame press conference. “Basically, we had to climb Everest without oxygen, and we did it. We were really great. The players were exceptional.”
The former Santos and Benfica prospect Marcos Leonardo, 22, scored the Saudi side’s first goal in the 46th minute and the last in the 112th. That was just part of a wild match that was knotted 2-2 after 90 minutes before another three goals were scored in extra time.
Fluminense have been part of a broader Brazilian movement at this tournament, in which all four entrants from the South American nation reached the knockout phase. The Rio de Janiero side is one of two to reach the quarterfinals along with Sao Paulo’s Palmeiras.
Although Fluminense’s 2-0 win over Inter Milan didn’t receive as much attention as Al Hilal’s triumph, perhaps that was only because neutrals have become used to seeing Brazilian teams thrive at this tournament. It was the third Brazilian win over a traditional European power after Flamengo’s 3-1 win over Chelsea and Botafogo’s 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain during the group stage.
“Brazilian football is showing its strength,” manager Renato Gaucho said, as reported by Brazilian newspaper O Globo. “European clubs have more money and can sign the best players, but on the field, what counts is attitude and commitment.”
German Cano scored in the third minute and Hercules sealed the win in the third minute of second-half stoppage time. In between, the 44-year-old Fabio made four saves to keep a third clean sheet of the tournament and fifth out of six in all competitions.
–Field Level Media
