Will Al Hilal and Fluminense's Surprise Run in the Club World Cup Continue?

Overthrowing the European giant, Al Hilal shocked the world

A major surprise marked the Club World Cup as Al Hilal defeated European giant Manchester City 4-3 on Tuesday (1/7/2025) morning WIB, advancing to the quarter-finals. This was the second surprise created by the Saudi Arabian club throughout the tournament.

In the group stage, Al Hilal managed to hold another European giant, Real Madrid, to a 1-1 draw. This result confirms that by bringing in star players, clubs from other continents can compete with European clubs.

For Al Hilal, the victory over City also serves as a form of redemption for Coach Simone Inzaghi. Having failed twice to conquer City and Pep Guardiola with Inter Milan, Inzaghi has drawn important lessons from the duel in the UEFA Champions League.

Inzaghi satisfied his curiosity by helping Al Hilal eliminate City in the round of 16. Al Hilal established itself as the only Asian representative advancing to the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.

The four goals scored by Al Hilal demonstrate that Inzaghi has perfected Inter's shortcomings in two matches against City during the 2022-2023 Champions League final and the group stage of the 2024-2025 season. At that time, Inter lost 0-1 in the final match in Istanbul, Turkey, and then held City to a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Stunned by Bernardo Silva's goal after just nine minutes, Al Hilal struck twice early in the second half through Marcos Leonardo's tap-in in the 46th minute, then Malcom punished City through a fast-break or quick counter-attack to reply to a City corner in the 52nd minute.

Balas City, through a shot from Erling Haaland amidst the chaos, forced the match to continue into extra time three minutes later. Al Hilal added two goals through Kalidou Koulibaly in the 94th minute and Leonardo in the 112th minute. Meanwhile, "The Citizens" only managed to score one goal in response through Phil Foden in the 104th minute.

How did Fluminense create magic against Inter Milan?

Another miracle was created by Fluminense, who eliminated Inter Milan. The success of the Brazilian club was largely due to their ability to exploit the squad's clumsiness in adapting to the tactical changes implemented by the new coach, Christian Chivu.

Under Chivu's guidance, Inter utilized the same player material and formation. However, his tactical approach is very different from that of the previous coach, Simone Inzaghi.

Despite being significantly outmatched in squad quality, Fluminense defeated Inter with a 2-0 victory at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, on Tuesday (1/7/2025) early morning WIB. The victory was so remarkable that legendary defender Thiago Silva knelt down and raised both hands to the sky after the final whistle.

Silva has won many prestigious trophies throughout his career, but remains emotional because the result defied expectations on paper. The Fluminense squad celebrated as if they had already won the tournament.

They formed a circle in the middle of the field, surrounding the club's flag. Silva and his teammates prayed together for that beautiful outcome, then embraced each other and jumped around joyfully.

What will happen to other giant European clubs?

Unlike Manchester City and Inter Milan, who are facing clubs from outside Europe, two other giants, Juventus and Real Madrid, must meet each other. The encounter was won by Real with a score of 1-0.

The goal was scored by Gonzalo Garcia with a lethal header during the match on Wednesday (2/7/2025) WIB, at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States. He scored the winning goal for Real in the 54th minute.

The header made Garcia the only Real player capable of defeating Juve's goalkeeper, Michele Di Gregorio. The Italian goalkeeper performed brilliantly, making 10 saves.

Victories were also recorded by the Champions League winners, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, and Borussia Dortmund. In the round of 16, PSG defeated the host club Inter Miami, 4-0, Bayern won 4-2 against Flamengo, Chelsea triumphed 4-1 over Benfica, and Dortmund eliminated Monterrey, 2-1.

How is the competition map in the last eight?

Eight of the best teams remain in the 2025 Club World Cup. The top three seeds, namely Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid, will compete against each other for a spot in the final. One of these three teams has the opportunity to face a non-European club that is highly ambitious to deliver a surprise.

PSG, the reigning champion of the UEFA Champions League for the 2024-2025 season, will face Bayern, who are beginning to rediscover their championship form under the management of Vincent Kompany. The clash between the two teams on Saturday (5/7/2025) at 23:00 WIB at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta is set to determine which team will advance to the semifinals.

Of the four matches in the quarter-finals, the encounter between PSG and Bayern, the champions of their respective leagues this season, is most aptly referred to as an early final. In terms of squad quality, both teams are very evenly matched.

Their journey in the 2025 Club World Cup has earned both teams the status of favorites. PSG remains the team with the best defense. Only Botafogo has managed to score a goal against the squad coached by Luis Enrique.

Four teams that have faced "Les Parisiens," only three teams have been able to make goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma make saves. Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, and Inter Miami are the teams that have managed to test the Italian national team's goalkeeper.

That solid defense is inseparable from the offensive and aggressive play of Vitinha and his teammates. The collection of 72 percent ball possession per match proves that PSG never allows opponents to have long periods to control the ball.