Fluminense Advances to Club World Cup Semifinals, Ugly Duckling's Happy Ending

FLORIDA, SATURDAY – Fluminense truly experienced a fate akin to the ugly duckling in the fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Not more favored than Al Hilal, Fluminense instead carved out a happy ending by winning 2-1 in the quarterfinal match of the Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, Florida, United States, Saturday (5/7/2025) early morning WIB.

Fluminense's coach, Renato Gaucho, happily accepted his team's "underdog" status before the match. He agreed, even referring to Fluminense as the ugly duckling in the face of the magnificent Al Hilal. Fluminense is not favored simply because it does not possess the luxury of a squad like Al Hilal. The market value of the Fluminense squad and that of Al Hilal is like night and day.

Al Hilal, supported by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), has been able to bring in expensive players with experience in Europe such as Renan Lodi, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Neves, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. The total market value of the Al Hilal squad reaches 161.58 million euros, which is significantly higher than Fluminense, whose market value is only 86.15 million euros.

"Looking at all the teams in the quarter-finals, Fluminense is the ugly duckling, at least in financial terms. This is a major competition, facing a formidable opponent. They (Al Hilal) have financial strength," said Gaucho before the match.

In the tale of the ugly duckling, the duck ultimately transforms into a beautiful swan after enduring much isolation and suffering. The storyline of this fable parallels the experience of Fluminense. Thanks to the team's collective effort and playing freely without the status of favorites, Fluminense secured a spot in the semifinals through goals contributed by Matheus Martinelli and Hercules. Meanwhile, Al Hilal's response goal was scored by Marcos Leonardo.

Both teams took a similar approach at the beginning of the match. Al Hilal and Fluminense both played safely by placing five defenders when not in possession of the ball. Al Hilal stacked players in the midfield in a 5-3-2 formation, making it difficult for Fluminense players to deliver progressive passes.

Al Hilal and Fluminense also attempted to provoke each other in order to draw players out of their positions. However, the players from both teams played very disciplined, resulting in only two shots on target in the first half. Martinelli's goal was scored five minutes before the end of normal time in the first half. The goal originated from Cancelo's mistake in clearing the ball, which was quickly reclaimed by Gabriel Fuentes.

"It is not easy to play this match after what happened (to Diogo Jota). We must thank Ruben and Cancelo (Jota's teammates in the Portugal national team). We are all constrained and saddened, but nonetheless, they are trying to play as well as possible," said Al Hilal Coach, Simone Inzaghi.

Cancelo and Neves indeed performed below expectations in this match. They frequently mispositioned themselves and did not contribute significantly as they did when Al Hilal defeated Manchester City in the previous match.

When trailing, Inzaghi applied his expertise in refining the team to optimize set-piece execution. Al Hilal was able to equalize through this scenario in the 51st minute.

Kalidou Koulibaly became a target for set-piece execution due to his physical strength and resilience in aerial duels. The ball was successfully headed by Koulibaly but struck Leonardo's leg. From close range, Leonardo was able to score against Fluminense with little difficulty.

Leonardo's goal tarnished Fluminense's impressive record of never conceding in the second half throughout the Club World Cup.

It took Fluminense 20 minutes to regain the lead. Hercules, who came on as a substitute, proved that the title of supersub attributed to him was not misplaced. He took advantage of the Al Hilal defense's lapse near the end of the match with a powerful close-range shot that resulted in a goal.

"I am very happy with that goal, but I am also very grateful to my teammates. They helped me a lot," said Hercules to DAZN.

Until the match ended, Al Hilal failed to score additional goals. This result brings the scenario of a semifinal between Brazilian teams closer. This ideal match will materialize if Palmeiras can defeat Chelsea in the other quarterfinal match. (REUTERS)