The Fluminense team made the first sensation in the 1/8 finals of the Club World Cup, after winning 2:0 against Inter and thus advancing in the tournament at the expense of the finalists in the Champions League, reported sportal.bg.
Herman Cano scored early in the match (3'), and at the end of it Hercules (90+3') was also accurate. It is also worth noting that the match in Charlotte was played in front of an almost empty stadium.
Christian Chivu made only two changes to his starting lineup after the 2:0 victory over River Plate. In defense, Stefan de Vrij returned at the expense of Francesco Acerbi. Captain Lautaro Martinez's attacking partner this time was not the tired Francesco Pio Esposito, but the recovered from his injury Marcus Thuram, who was a starter for the first time in the tournament.
Renato Gaucho also made two changes to his starting line-up after the goalless draw with Mamelodi Sundowns, with Hercules and Agustin Canobio being replaced by captain Thiago Silva and Facundo Bernal. The central striker in the 4-2-3-1 formation in his 200th match for the team was the 37-year-old Cano, behind whom the former Ludogorets player Nonato played.
With their first goal opportunity, the Brazilians scorched their opponent. In the third minute, De Vri made a mistake that allowed Jon Arias to advance down the right flank. The winger then attempted a pass and the ball ricocheted off Alessandro Bastoni's leg to reach Cano, who headed it between Jan Sommer's legs for his 15th goal of the season.
In the eighth minute, Christian Aslani received a yellow card, which will keep him out of the next match if Inter reach the quarter-finals. In the 11th minute, Federico Dimarco had the team's first shot of the match, but the 44-year-old Fabio managed to block it. Gradually, the Nerazzurri put pressure on, with Thuram conceding a goal in the 24th minute. Six minutes later, Sommer beat Arias to a long-range shot, but Samuel sent the ball wide when he added a well-placed cross.
In the 36th minute, Rene received a yellow card, which will keep him out of Fluminense's possible quarter-final. In the ensuing free kick by Dimarco, Fabio managed to catch the ball. Shortly after, Bastoni also begged for a yellow card, because of which he would not play in the next round of the tournament. In the 39th minute, Ignacio sent the ball into the Inter net, but the goal was canceled due to his offside. Two unsuccessful shots by Arias followed. In the added time before the break, there was a clash between Gaucho and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, for which the coach of the “tricolors“ received the sixth yellow card of the match.
The second half began with a long-range shot by De Vri, which missed the target. The first miss for Fluminense after the break was made by Cano. Shortly after, Sommer had to save a technical shot by Arias. In the following corner, Bernal shot inaccurately with his head, and seconds later Cano made an unsuccessful attempt to beat the goalkeeper. In the 67th minute, Nicolo Barella called for a penalty for a handball by Thiago Silva, but the referee refused to point to the penalty spot.
Shortly afterwards, De Vri failed to score from about two meters after taking a direct free kick. In the 73rd minute, substitute Sebastiano Esposito shot inaccurately with his head, and two minutes later the ball flew wide after a direct free kick by Dimarco. In the following minutes, Lautaro failed to restore parity three times. In his first two attempts, Fabio managed to intervene, and in the third case, the striker's shot was stopped by the post.
In the final minutes, the reserves of both teams, Luis Enrique, Vinicius Lima and Hercules, also took unsuccessful shots. At the beginning of added time, Lautaro and Carlos Augusto, who came off the bench, were unable to equalize. On the other hand, the Brazilians killed the intrigue with a second goal after Hercules controlled the ball in front of the penalty area and seconds later scored with a shot on the ground. The last miss in the match was made by Dimarco, whose technical shot bounced off the goalpost.
INTER - FLUMINENSE 0:2
0:1 Cano (3')
0:2 Hercules (90+3')
Inter: Sommer, Darmian, De Vri, Bastoni, Dumfries, Barella, Aslani, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco, Thuram, Lautaro
Fluminense: Fabio, Samuel, Ignacio, Silva, Freites, Rene, Bernal, Arias, Nonato, Martinelli, Cano