Fluminense FC overcame Al-Hilal on a hot afternoon in Orlando, winning 2-1 in a Fourth of July matchup in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. It was a tight game between two evenly matched upstarts who made it this far by upsetting European giants in the Round of 16. Al-Hilal defeated Manchester City 4-3 in extra time on Monday, but they couldn't get past Fluminese, who currently sit in 6th Place in Brazil's Série A.
Statistically, it was anybody's game. Both sides were just about equal for shots (10 for Fluminense vs 14 for Al-Hilal), shots on target (3 vs 3), and xG (0.74 vs 0.91). But Fluminense found a way to score a game-winner in the 70th minute, and will face either Palmerias or Chelsea in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Semifinal matchup next Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.
Here are four thoughts about Fluminense's historic win.
Oliver Strand
1. The cagey game we expected
We thought this would be a closely-contested game heading into this afternoon. Fluminense made it this far by allowing just two goals in four matches played, holding Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund scoreless. On the other side of the field, Al-Hilal allowed just one goal in three Group Stage games, and that was to a stacked Real Madrid.
In other words, Fluminense vs Al-Hilal was never going to be a festival of goals. Both goalkeepers had strong tournaments so far, with Fluminense's Fabio logging three clean sheets in four games and Al-Hilal's Bono shutting out RB Salzburg and Pachuca.
While the match wasn't end-to-end, it was back-and-forth. It was less the NBA than Wimbledon, with each side taking turns testing the other in an extended rally.
Fluminense gained the advantage just before the end of the first half, when Martinelli jumped on a loose ball in the Al-Hilal box in the 40th minute. The 23-year-old controlled it with his left foot, pivoted 90 degrees to face the goal, then lashed a head-high shot that tucked in just inside the far post. The entire sequence was completed in one second.
Martinelli gives Fluminense the lead | Courtesy DAZN
Al-Hilal responded shortly after the start of the second half. A corner kick from Rubin Neves was headed down by Kalidou Koulibaly — the defender was looking for the goal, but instead found the inside of Leonardo's leg. No matter: Leonardo, a 22-year-old who joined Al-Hilal from SL Benfica, composed himself and rifled a shot past Fabio, who had gone to ground to scoop up the header.
Marcus Leonardo evens it 1-1 for Al-Hilal | Courtesy DAZN
Al-Hilal controlled more of the game for the rest of the match, but Fluminense was more aggressive when they were in possession. In the end, it was Fluminense that won out.
Michael Battista
2. The $21 million goal
The game-winning goal was a thing of beauty – and some dumb luck. It started when Hercules blasted a careless shot from well outside the box. The ball was deflected, recovered, and fed to Hercules, who then carried the ball into the penalty area and took a well-placed shot from a wide angle that beat Bono in goal.
Hercules should be made to run a couple of suicides for the wasteful shot that started the play, and given DJ rights over the team's locker room playlist for his composed finish.
Hercules scores the game-winner for Fluminese | Courtesy DAZN
Not to be too crass, but that goal is worth a cool $21 million — that's Fluminense's monetary reward for advancing to the Semifinal. Add that to the $15.2 million for making it to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup to begin, the $4 million earned in the Group Stage, and the $20.6 million for the two knockout appearances, and Fluminense has already banked $60.8 million.
Megha Gupta
3. We're loving the fans
One of the best things about the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has been the atmosphere created by traveling fans. We saw that again today, with Fluminense supporters turning Camping World Stadium in Orlando (what does the rest of the world think of these venue names?) into the northernmost district of Rio de Janeiro.
Fluminese fans in action | Courtesy DAZN
We'll be glad to see them again at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next Tuesday, July 8, when they face the winner of the Palmerias vs Chelsea match that will be played tonight at 9 pm ET.
Hudson River Blue Staff
4. Al-Hilal arrives on the international stage
As John Baney wrote in the preview of this game, the billions in transfer fees spent by the Saudi Pro League "has been a hot topic of conversation" since 2023. "Al-Hilal were at the heart of that transfer whirlwind," Baney wrote, "landing Neymar (for a $105 million transfer fee), Malcolm ($105 million), Rúben Neves ($64 million), Aleksandar Mitrović ($62 million), Sergej Milinković-Savić ($47 million), Marcos Leonardo ($47 million), João Cancelo ($29 million), Renan Lodi ($27 million), Kalidou Koulibaly ($27 million), and Bono ($25 million), all in just a two-season span."
European pundits largely dismissed the intentions of the Saudi Pro League while criticizing the impact: How dare they drive up prices of in-demand players, overpaying to bring talent to an unfamiliar country? That should be left to England, France, and Spain, not a country with (checks notes) 33 million people and the 19th-largest economy in the world.
Al-Hilal's Bono stops Fluminese's Cano | Courtesy DAZN
But this tournament proves that Al-Hilal is for real. If anything, the club shows that the add-players-at-all-costs model created by Real Madrid a generation ago, and expanded by clubs like Manchester City and Manchester United, can work if you find the right balance of personalities and skillsets.
And if you bring in the right person to manage it all. As Baney pointed out in his preview, head coach Simone Inzaghi is arguably the club's most important new arrival. The former Inter Milan head coach was able to guide the team to a stunning upset of Manchester City in the Round of 16. He came up short against an inspired Fluminense today, but we can expect to see more of Al-Hilal in years to come, and when we do, it won't be a surprise.
