Florida [US], July 5 : Substitute Hercules' heroics helped Fluminense secure their place in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup after beating Al-Hilal 2-1.
The match began on a sombre note, with both teams observing a moment of silence in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. The early minutes of the game were slow and cautious, with neither side taking risks. In fact, it took until the 18th minute for the first shot on goal to happen, as per Goal.com.
Five minutes before half-time, Fluminense finally brought the game to life. Matheus Martinelli cut inside with speed and fired a brilliant left-footed shot into the far corner, giving Al-Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou no chance. The goal woke up the crowd at Camping World Stadium after a dull start.
Just before the break, Al-Hilal almost equalized. Kalidou Koulibaly connected with a perfect free-kick from Ruben Neves and sent a powerful header toward goal but, Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio reacted quickly and made a fantastic diving save.
A moment later, Al-Hilal thought they had won a penalty when Xavier brought down Marcos Leonardo in the box. The referee initially pointed to the spot, but VAR overturned the decision, leaving the Al-Hilal bench frustrated.
After halftime, Al-Hilal came out strong. Six minutes into the second half, they took advantage of pressure from a series of corners. Ruben Neves delivered another dangerous cross, and Koulibaly headed it across the goal. This time, the ball fell nicely for Leonardo, who tapped it in from close range to make it 1-1.
Fluminense responded almost immediately. Substitute Hercules, known for scoring important goals off the bench, made an impact again. After his first attempt was blocked in the box, he stayed alert and smashed in a rebound following a header from Xavier. His goal put Fluminense back in the lead.
Hercules, who had earlier scored a last-minute winner against Inter in the round of 16, did it again. His heroics helped Fluminense secure their place in the semi-finals against Chelsea and earned him the MVP of the match.