Brazilian teams continue to stand up to Europeans in the Club World Cup. On Monday, Fluminense, who had already been close to defeating Borussia Dortmund in the group stage (0-0), eliminated the current Champions League runner-up, Inter Milan (0-2) in Charlotte.
Renato Gaúcho's team took the lead in the 3rd minute thanks to a goal from experienced striker Germán Cano. The Argentine picked up a loose ball in the area to finish against Yann Sommer in front of a totally asleep 'nerazzurri' defense.
Inter looked for the equalizer without too much clarity, with Dimarco's shots from outside the area as the main offensive weapon. After the break, Sommer prevented Fluminense's second goal with a save from a shot by Colombian Jhon Arias.
A great goal from Hércules finished off Inter in added time
Cristian Chivu had no choice but to move the bench with the entry of Susic, Carboni and Luiz Henrique. The Italians settled in the opponent's half, but mistakes by De Vrij and Lautaro kept the advantage on the Brazilian side.
The minutes passed and between the posts and the lack of aim of the Inter players gave wings to a very dangerous Fluminense on the counterattack. In added time, another good finish from Hércules Pereira finished off the match, although Dimarco sent another powerful long-range shot to the crossbar before the end.
Inter had more possession (68%) and shots (17), but only 4 were on target, the same amount as 'Fluzao'. However, the South Americans did take advantage of their opportunities, hitting at the beginning and end of the match to complete a historic qualification.
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Palmeiras and Fluminense rescue South American honor in the Club World Cup
So far, Flamengo (2-4 against Bayern) has been the only Brazilian team defeated by a European giant in the tournament. Botafogo, on the other hand, was eliminated by Palmeiras, who in the quarterfinals will face a Chelsea that, in the group stage, was clearly surpassed by Flamengo itself (1-3).
Both teams will re-edit the 2021 Club World Cup final, where the English team won in extra time (2-1). Fluminense, meanwhile, hopes to have revenge against a Manchester City that crushed them in 2023 (4-0) in the last final of the extinct 'Mundialito'.
Before, Pep Guardiola's team must overcome their round of 16 match against Al Hilal. The Saudi team debuted by rescuing a draw against Real Madrid (1-1) and also saved a draw against RB Salzburg (0-0) before defeating Pachuca (2-0).
The matches between Palmeiras-Chelsea and Fluminense-City are on the upper side of the bracket, in theory the least complicated to reach the final. The winners of both matches will face each other in 'semis', while on the other side the only defined match is PSG-Bayern.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund start as favorites to complete the quarter-final picture, provided they overcome Juventus and Monterrey, respectively. Los Blancos will play at 21:00 (Spanish time) against Juve.
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