Al Hilal’s bold run at the Fifa Club World Cup came to an end in Orlando on Friday as the Saudi Arabian club were edged 2-1 by Brazil’s Fluminense in a pulsating quarter-final clash.
Having shocked the tournament with their 4-3 extra-time victory over Manchester City earlier in the week, Al Hilal looked poised for another statement result when striker Marcos Leonardo, standing in for the injured Aleksandar Mitrovic, netted his fourth goal of the competition early in the second half to cancel out Martinelli’s opener for Fluminense.
But substitute Hercules, introduced after the hour mark, scored what proved to be the winner with 20 minutes remaining to propel the Rio de Janeiro side into Tuesday’s semi-final against Chelsea in New Jersey.
“It’s painful to go out, especially after what we did against City,” Al Hilal captain Ruben Neves said. “But I’m proud of our fight, and of how far we came. We showed that teams from Asia can compete with anyone.”
The defeat ends Asia’s presence in the competition, leaving South America and Europe to contest the semi-finals. But for long spells under the Florida floodlights, Al Hilal matched Fluminense, in intensity and craft, only to fall short in the decisive moments.
Martinelli had given the Copa Libertadores holders the lead five minutes before the break. The attacking midfielder took Gabriel Fuentes' ex[ertly, before rifling a left-footed shot beyond Yassine "Bono" Bounou into the top corner.
Al Hilal responded strongly and nearly equalised on the stroke of half time, but veteran goalkeeper Fabio sprawled low to his left to deny Kalidou Koulibaly’s thumping header.
Leonardo made no mistake six minutes into the second half, however. When Koulibaly again rose highest from a corner, his header fell at the feet of the 21-year-old forward, who delicately scooped the ball past Fabio and two defenders on the line to make it 1-1.
The game’s defining moment came in the 70th minute. Hercules, who had scored in Fluminense’s previous round, saw an initial long-range effort deflected into the air. Instead of stopping, the midfielder continued his run and was rewarded when the loose ball dropped kindly. His sublime first touch set up a right-footed drive that arrowed into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebrations among the largely pro-Brazilian crowd.
Al Hilal pushed forward late on, but Fluminense’s defence held firm. Despite their exit, the Saudi club leave with heads held high, their performance against Manchester City still the tournament’s standout shock.
There was also emotion before kick-off, with a moment of silence for Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva, who died on Thursday. Cameras showed Neves and compatriot Joao Cancelo, international teammates of Jota, visibly emotional during the tribute.
For Al Hilal, their Club World Cup journey ends – but not without making a mark.
Chelsea send Palmerias packing
Enzo Maresca hailed the “perfect night” after his Chelsea side reached the Club World Cup semi-final and witnessed a sparkling display by incoming signing Estevao Willian.
A deflected late Malo Gusto cross saw the Londoners snatch a 2-1 victory in their quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
That came after Cole Palmer’s early opener had been cancelled out by a stunning strike from Estevao, the 18-year-old winger who is to join them after the tournament.
Maresca said: “We’re very happy. It’s a fantastic day. The semi-finals of the Club World Cup – the best clubs in the world – and we are there.
“Probably for us it has been the perfect night because we won and Estevao scored, so it was very good for all of us.”
Estevao was given a tough time by Marc Cucurella in a first half Chelsea largely controlled but he shone in the second period as the Brazilians fought their way back into the game.
He equalised when he took a pass from the right and smashed a shot past Robert Sanchez from a tight angle.
“You can see he is a huge talent, you can see is a fantastic player,” said Maresca. “The only thing now is when you come from South America or another part of the world to Europe you need to adapt.
“We are going to help him to adapt and first of all to enjoy football. We don’t have any doubt, as he is so good, that he is going to be an important player for Chelsea.”
Chelsea, who gave a debut to new signing Joao Pedro off the bench in the second half, will now play another Brazilian side in Fluminense in New York on Tuesday for a place in the final.
