Can Fluminense Fight Against European Domination?

How did Fluminense qualify for the semifinals?

Fluminense truly shares a fate similar to that of the ugly duckling in the fairy tale by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Not being favored compared to 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, on Saturday (5/7/2025) early morning WIB.

Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho happily accepted his team's underdog status before the match. He agreed and even called Fluminense the ugly spot in front of the great Al Hilal. Fluminense is not favored because it does not have the luxury of a squad like Al Hilal. The market value of the Fluminense and Al Hilal squads is like heaven and earth.

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 formidable opponents. 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.

Why is Real Madrid so ambitious to win the Club World Cup?

Not only trophies serve as motivation, but also the abundant cash prizes await every participant in the Club World Cup. Real Madrid has already taken the lead in the prize earnings after successfully advancing to the semifinals. Should they become champions, they will become even wealthier.

Real Madrid completes the four best teams in the 2025 Club World Cup. Before facing Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals on Thursday (10/7/2025) WIB, "Los Blancos" have already taken the lead in bonus earnings from the tournament of the world's best clubs. Compared to the remaining quartet of teams, Xabi Alonso's squad is assured of bringing home a larger sum of money if they become champions.

Real secured their ticket to the semifinals after winning a dramatic match against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday (6/7/2025) at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, USA. The final score of 3-2 was achieved through a drama of three goals during the additional time of the second half, continuing Real's positive performance in the USA.

Reaching the semifinals has provided massive financial benefits for Real. According to Marca, Los Blancos have accumulated bonus funds awarded by FIFA amounting to 72.89 million euros or approximately IDR 1.4 trillion.

The total consists of 32.8 million euros (Rp 453.8 billion) from participation bonuses, 3.44 million euros (Rp 65.6 billion) from the collection of two victories in the group stage, 860,000 euros (Rp 16.4 billion) due to a draw in the qualifying round, 6.45 million euros (Rp 123 billion) for playing in the round of 16, 11.28 million euros (Rp 215 billion) for participation in the quarter-finals, and 18.06 million euros (Rp 344.4 billion) for the prize for advancing to the semi-finals.

Can PSG continue their dominance?

It has been proven once again that Paris Saint-Germain is currently the strongest team in the world. They were still able to win against Bayern Munich despite finishing the match with nine players. The individual quality in the PSG squad, such as Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele, made the difference.

PSG triumphed over Bayern 2-0 in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, USA, on Sunday (6/7/2025) WIB. The victory was hard-earned with nine players after defender Willian Pacho and substitute Lucas Hernandez received red cards at the end of the match.

PSG had only been ahead for four minutes, through Doue's opener, when Pacho was shown a straight red card by English referee Anthony Taylor in the 82nd minute. Not long after, Hernandez, who had only played ten minutes, left the field at the start of injury time.

Instead of losing control, the team coached by Luis Enrique punished Bayern with a second goal through a transition situation. Dembele's first attempt hit the crossbar. The ball was regained by PSG. A few seconds later, Dembele successfully satisfied his curiosity in the 90+6 minute.

PSG, as the reigning Champions League titleholder, can no longer be caught with the little time remaining. They not only won but also appeared more dangerous than Bayern even with just nine players.

What is Chelsea's secret recipe for advancing to the semifinals?

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca stated at the beginning of the 2025 Club World Cup that it was impossible to field the same squad amid the extreme weather conditions in the United States. Maresca adhered to the principle of rotation and successfully led Chelsea to the semifinals.

Chelsea ended their trauma against Brazilian clubs at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Saturday (5/7/2025) WIB. After previously losing to Flamengo in the group stage, Cole Palmer and his teammates successfully defeated Palmeiras 2-1 in a tightly contested quarter-final match that lasted until the final whistle.

"We dominated the match in the first half and could have been ahead by more than one goal," said Maresca regarding Chelsea's dominance. "They were better after the break, but we took control again in the last 25 minutes. We deserved to win, and it was not due to luck," he continued.

Chelsea was only able to score the winning goal in the 83rd minute. This was also through an own goal by Palmeiras defender, Agustin Glay. However, as Maresca stated, "The Blues" deserved to win because they were able to dominate the match. This dominance came from Maresca's squad rotation strategy.

Maresca has never used the same starting lineup from the group stage to the round of 16. This was once again maintained in the recent match when anchor midfielder Moises Caicedo (accumulation of cards) and Romeo Lavia (injury) were forced to miss. A total of four different players were featured as starters.