July 05, (THEWILL) — Fluminense advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal on Friday night in Orlando, Florida. The Brazilian side, considered one of the least likely contenders in the tournament, struck early through Matheus Martinelli before surviving a second-half fightback to claim a famous result.
Martinelli opened the scoring midway through the first half after João Cancelo misjudged a clearance. Gabriel Fuentes capitalised and laid off the ball for Martinelli, who curled a precise left-footed shot into the top-right corner from the edge of the area. Al-Hilal, the Asian champions, responded after the interval with a scrappy equaliser through Marcus Leonardo.
The leveller came when Kalidou Koulibaly met a cross with a cushioned header that rebounded off Leonardo’s legs. The forward quickly adjusted his footing and smashed the ball into the net from close range, pulling Al-Hilal level and shifting the momentum in their favour.
Fluminense, however, found their response through substitute Hercules, who had also scored in the last-16 round. Introduced after the interval, he collected a pass inside the box, took a deft touch, and calmly slotted a low finish into the bottom corner to restore the lead in the 70th minute.
Before kick-off, players and fans observed a minute’s silence in tribute to Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who died in a car crash on Thursday. Fluminense will now face the winner of Friday’s other quarter-final between Palmeiras and Chelsea for a place in the final.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
