Fluminense Versus Al Hilal, A Complementary Duel of the Giant Killers

FLORIDA, FRIDAY — Fluminense and Al Hilal disrupted the ideal quarter-final that was supposed to feature Manchester City and Inter Milan. Playing cleverly, Fluminense and Al Hilal successfully eliminated the European giants to meet each other in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup at Camping World Stadium, Florida, United States, on Saturday (5/7/2025) at 02:00 WIB.

The success of Fluminense and Al Hilal in eliminating Inter and City undoubtedly earned them the title of giant killers. Both teams have proven themselves to be formidable opponents, despite not being favorites in the Club World Cup.

The performance in the last few matches indicates that Fluminense and Al Hilal are not ordinary teams. Al Hilal remains unbeaten in their last nine matches, while Fluminense has been more impressive, having not lost in their last ten matches across all competitions.

Since appointing Simone Inzaghi as the coach, Al Hilal's strength has increased significantly. Inzaghi has made Al Hilal more competitive through his skills in building a solid defense. The evidence is that in the group stage, Al Hilal was able to draw twice against European representatives, Real Madrid and FC Salzburg.

Pep Guardiola's team was left frustrated, managing to score only three goals from 69 percent possession and 30 attempts on goal. The deep defensive system with a 5-3-2 formation will pose a challenge for Fluminense to advance to the semifinals.

"What we did (against City) cannot be explained. We played against one of the best teams in the world and this motivates us even more for the next match (against Al Hilal). This is a historic achievement for us, the club, and the entire country. We believe in every second and we have done it," said Al Hilal midfielder, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, as quoted from the FIFA website.

Milinkovic-Savic, who is tall, strong, and possesses a robust physique in midfield, is a key element of Al Hilal's counter-attacking style, which has proven to be very effective against City. In addition to Milinkovic-Savic, Al Hilal heavily relies on Brazilian players such as Malcom, Renan Lodi, and Marcos Leonardo, who scored two goals against City. Their combination poses a threat to Fluminense's defense.

Similar to Al Hilal, Fluminense also successfully defeated Inter by taking advantage of the opponent's lapses at the beginning of the match. After leading 2-0 in the first half, Fluminense strengthened their defense, making it difficult for Inter to score an equalizer.

Veteran center-back, Thiago Silva, and the 44-year-old senior goalkeeper, Fabio, are key to the strong defense of Fluminense. The experience of Silva and Fabio provides calmness at the heart of the defense. Despite aging, Silva's resilience and focus in guarding the defense remain unwavering.

Statistics show that Fluminense's defense has become increasingly solid in the second half. Since the group stage, not a single goal has been conceded by Fluminense in the second half. This indicates that Al Hilal must score as quickly as possible and cannot afford to fall behind in the first half.

Fluminense's coach, Renato Gaucho, has been contemplating a strategy to neutralize Al Hilal's explosiveness in counterattacks. According to Gaucho, the quick counterattack method is Al Hilal's main weapon that his team must be wary of.

Gaucho surprised many by implementing an unusual formation when eliminating Inter. While managing Fluminense, Gaucho tended to favor a four-defender formation.

However, for tactical needs, he considers a three-defender formation to be more effective in countering Inter's attacks. Gaucho was reluctant to elaborate further when asked about tactical aspects during the press conference ahead of the match, Friday (4/7/2025) early morning WIB.

"The plan I have devised for tomorrow is the approach that I believe is the best. We know our opponents are very quick and play exceptionally well in counterattacks. I have analyzed this thoroughly and organized my team accordingly. We hope to neutralize our opponents in the best possible way. That is our mindset and what we hope to achieve in the game tomorrow," said Gaucho. (AP)