Fluminense Beat Al Hilal in a Close Match
Matheus Martinelli scored a great goal with his left foot in the 40th minute to give Fluminense (a club from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) the lead. But six minutes into the second half, Al Hilal’s Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo scored to make it 1-1. Then, a player named Hercules scored the winning goal, making the Fluminense fans in the crowd of over 43,000 very happy.
Now, Fluminense might play another Brazilian team, Palmeiras, in the semi-final—if Palmeiras beat Chelsea in their upcoming match.
Al Hilal had earlier surprised everyone by beating Manchester City 4-3 to reach the quarter-finals. They also drew with Real Madrid in the group stage and stayed unbeaten until this match, making a strong impression in the tournament.
Before the game started, there was a moment of silence for Diogo Jota’s brother, André Silva, who died in a car crash in Spain. Diogo Jota plays for Liverpool and Portugal. Two of his Portugal teammates, Ruben Neves and João Cancelo, were playing for Al Hilal.
First Half
The first half had few chances. Martinelli scored when he got the ball in the box, turned, and shot with his left foot past the goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Al Hilal almost scored right after, but Fluminense’s 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio made a great save from Kalidou Koulibaly’s header.
Al Hilal thought they had a penalty when Marcos Leonardo was brought down, but the referee checked the video and saw there was no contact, so he canceled the penalty.
Second Half
In the second half, Al Hilal came out strong. Koulibaly headed the ball from a corner to Leonardo, who scored to make it 1-1.
Fluminense almost took the lead again when Renan Lodi made a poor pass, but Al Hilal’s goalkeeper Bounou made a smart save against German Cano.
With 20 minutes left, Hercules had a long shot blocked. Samuel Xavier headed the ball back to him, and Hercules ran into the box and scored the winning goal, 2-1 to Fluminense.
In the final minutes, Al Hilal tried hard to score with many corners and pressure, but Fluminense held on for the win.
Coaches React
Fluminense’s coach, Renato Gaucho, praised his team:
“We didn’t have many chances, but we took them. Everyone worked hard. Fans in the U.S. and Brazil should wear the team shirt proudly.”
He also praised 40-year-old defender Thiago Silva:
“Thiago is like a coach on the field. He’s calm, experienced, and a true leader. We needed him in a tough match like this.”
Al Hilal’s coach, Simone Inzaghi, said:
“It was a good World Cup for us, but we’re disappointed. We played well in the second half and deserved more. Fluminense is a strong and well-organized team.”
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