Fluminense blanks Inter Milan to reach CWC quarterfinals
Germán Cano scored very early, the substitute Hércules added a goal very late and Fluminense upset Inter Milan 2-0 on Monday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C., to reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA Club World Cup. HT Image
The 44-year-old Fábio made four saves to seal one of the most famous wins in the Rio de Janeiro club's storied history and a result that ensured there will be two Brazilian quarterfinalists in the first edition of this expanded tournament format.
Fluminense will play the winner of Monday's later game between Manchester City and Al-Hilal in Orlando, Fla. If heavily favored Manchester City progress, it would present a rematch of the 2023 Club World Cup final, which Manchester City won 4-0.
Inter Milan was eliminated in the second round 30 days after they suffered a 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League final. They also narrowly finished second in the Italian Serie A.
Fluminense were the better side for the opening hour of another sweltering second-round encounter, then suffered through increased Inter Milan pressure for the final 20 minutes to keep their third clean sheet of the tournament.
Lautaro Martínez came closest to pulling Inter Milan level, forcing Fábio into a pair of saves in the 80th and 82nd minute, then striking the upright with another low effort only seconds later.
Eleven minutes later, Inter Milan's at times shaky defense was exposed for a second time. The result was Hércules finding himself free at the edge of the 18-yard-box following a throw-in, free to drive a composed, low finish that nestled in the bottom right corner and sent most of the crowd into delirium.
Cano put the Brazilians in front in just the third minute during a shaky start from the Italians.
Jhon Arias' cross from the right took a deflection that caused Milan defenders and goalkeeper Yann Sommer to hesitate. Cano reacted superbly, continuing his run to meet the ball and angling his header from close range downward and through Sommer's legs.
Fluminense nearly doubled the lead in the 30th minute, when Sommer gave up a rebound on Arias' initial effort and Samuel Xavier fired his rebound attempt narrowly wide of the far-left post. And in the 39th, Ignacio thought he had doubled Flu's advantage, only to be ruled fractionally offside by the automated review system.
The pattern of more Milan possession but more dangerous Fluminense chances continued early in the second half, and Sommer reacted superbly in the 62nd minute to dive and push Arias' effort from beyond the penalty area just around his left post.
Field Level Media
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
43 minutes ago
- India Today
Jannik Sinner looks to bury Roland Garros demons in bid for 1st Wimbledon title
It seemed like Jannik Sinner was all set to claim his first French Open title on June 8. He was two sets up, and although Carlos Alcaraz managed to pull one back, the World No. 1 looked destined for victory in the fourth set when he held three match points. But fate had other plans for the 23-year-old. Alcaraz mounted a stunning comeback, handing Sinner a heartbreaking loss and leaving the Italian stunned, forced to lick his was one of the few dips in an otherwise roller-coaster year for Sinner, who heads into Wimbledon with the assurance that his position at the top of the ATP rankings is safe, regardless of the outcome at the Championships. Perhaps that's why he remarked, 'I am very happy,' upon arriving in year began with back-to-back success at the Australian Open, continuing his dominance on hard courts. But a dark cloud loomed in the form of a potential doping ban — one that could have drastically altered the trajectory of his career. Though Sinner did receive a ban, it was a reduced one that ensured he wouldn't miss any of the Grand Slams. Now, he arrives at Wimbledon with a whirlwind of pressure and scrutiny surrounding him — despite his calm and humble demeanor on and off the BEFORE WIMBLEDONadvertisementIt is surprising to see someone make changes to their coaching personnel just before a major grand slam. And that's exactly what Sinner did as he stunned everyone, including Novak Djokovic. The Italian parted ways with fitness trainer Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, after a nine-month and Badio achieved success with Djokovic in the past, but Sinner didn't think twice before letting them go. He said, in an unruffled tone, that he wanted to do something different.'Nothing major happened, nothing big,' he said, unruffled. 'Nothing crazy happened. It's not affecting me. I feel ready to compete. I feel free. We reached some incredible goals with them [including this year's Australian Open crown] so obviously huge thanks to them, but I decided to do something different after Halle.'This decision at Halle came after he lost to Alexander Bublik, thereby ending his title defence.A TOUGH TEST IN LONDONNow, Sinner's best performance at Wimbledon came two years ago when he made it to the semis. He will be looking to better that for sure, but his road to the final won't be easy. He will start off with a test against compatriot Luca Nardi. After that he could face Denis Shapovalov in third round, Grigor Dimitrov or Tommy Paul in the he does make it to the quarters, well Lorenzo Musetti could be waiting for an all-Italian clash. The semi-final could be against the paging warhorse Novak Djokovic. If he crosses that hurdle, then Carlos Alcaraz could wait for him in the has had nine losses since 2024 and five of them have been against the projected path to Wimbledon finalRound One: Luca NardiRound Two: Aleksandar VukicRound Threee: Denis ShapovalovRound Four: Tommy Paul/Grigor DimitrovQuarter-final: Lorenzo Musetti/Ben SheltonSemi-final: Jack Draper/Novak DjokovicFinal: Carlos AlcarazREADY TO PLAYSinner has said he means business this time around and isn't thinking about the past."I feel ready to play,' he said. 'What happened in the past is in the past already. Especially mentally, I feel in a very good spot. I feel like that I'm playing great, great tennis on grass. I'm just looking forward to go on court and to compete and enjoy it."While the Italian admitted that the tranistion to grass is a tough one for him, he showed his positive mindset by claiming he feels ready to compete again.'I had some time off before coming here,' he said. 'I feel ready to compete again. I'm here to play good tennis.'advertisementWell, he will have to play his best tennis as well as he may have to stop his Spanish kryptonite if he wants to take home the Wimbledon title with him.- Ends
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Club World Cup: Inter Milan Crash Out After Stunning Defeat To Fluminense
German Cano and Hercules struck for Fluminense as they stormed to a 2-0 win to become the second Brazilian club to advance to enter last-eight. Fluminense eliminated Inter Milan from the Club World Cup on Monday with a 2-0 victory in Charlotte, advancing to the quarterfinals. German Cano's close-range header gave Fluminense an early lead in their last-16 match. They then withstood significant pressure from the Italian side in the second half before substitute Hercules secured their win late in the game. The team from Rio de Janeiro, who earned their place in the Club World Cup by winning the Copa Libertadores in 2023, became the second Brazilian side to reach the last eight, following Palmeiras. Fluminense, captained by 40-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva, will now head to Orlando for a match on Friday against either Manchester City or Al-Hilal. 'We knew they would be tough opponents. Less than a month ago, they were playing in the Champions League final, but we performed very well," Silva told broadcaster DAZN. This is another notable victory for a Brazilian team against prominent European competition in the United States, following Botafogo's win over PSG and Flamengo's triumph over Chelsea in the group stage. 'This is a very important victory for our fans, for all of Brazil, for my country, for South America," said Jhon Arias, the lively Colombian winger who was named man of the match. 'We are not only representing Fluminense but a whole continent and we are really pleased with what we are doing in this World Cup." 'Not Inter Milan's Day' Inter came to the US after a 5-0 defeat by PSG in the UEFA Champions League final at the end of May and with a new coach, Cristian Chivu. They did not fully impress during the group stage despite topping their section and found themselves trailing within three minutes in front of just over 20,000 fans at the Bank of America Stadium on another hot afternoon. Arias's cross from the Fluminense right took a deflection off Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni and bounced awkwardly before veteran Argentine striker Cano arrived to head it through the legs of goalkeeper Yann Sommer from close range. Ignacio thought he had made it 2-0 before the interval, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Sommer then tipped a fine curling strike by Arias around the post just after the hour mark, before Inter intensified their efforts to avoid elimination. Stefan de Vrij missed from close range after captain Lautaro Martinez headed down a cross, and Martinez then saw a fine shot on the turn from the edge of the box rebound off an upright. Martinez had also been denied by Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio moments earlier, and confirmation that it was not Inter's day came in stoppage time. Substitute Hercules pounced on a loose ball, drove into the box, and fired low into the corner. Federico Dimarco then hit the woodwork at the other end as Fluminense held on for the victory, keeping South American hopes of glory in the tournament alive. 'We never gave in. We kept going until the end, but it was not our day," Chivu told DAZN. With AFP Inputs First Published: July 01, 2025, 07:38 IST
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Fluminense upset Inter Milan 2-0 to reach Club World Cup quarters
— FIFACWC (@FIFACWC) Live Events — FIFACWC (@FIFACWC) (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Fluminense stunned Inter Milan with a 2-0 victory on Monday in Charlotte, booking their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals . The Brazilian side, fresh off their 2023 Copa Libertadores triumph, struck early through German Cano , whose close-range header in the third minute set the heavy second-half pressure from the Italian giants, Fluminense held firm before substitute Hercules sealed the win in stoppage time with a composed low by 40-year-old captain Thiago Silva, the Rio de Janeiro club joined Palmeiras as the second Brazilian team in the last eight. Their next challenge will be a quarter-final clash in Orlando against either Manchester City or Al-Hilal on win continued a strong tournament showing for Brazilian teams, following earlier group-stage victories by Botafogo over PSG and Flamengo against Chelsea."We are representing Brazil football beautifully. ... The fans are happy and feeling strong because we are here playing the big European teams,' Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho said after the meanwhile, arrived in the US on shaky footing, still reeling from a 5-0 loss to PSG in the Champions League final and adjusting to new coach Cristian Chivu. Despite topping their group, their form remained nearly doubled their lead before halftime through Ignacio, but his goal was ruled offside. Inter pushed hard after the break, with Lautaro Martinez hitting the post and Stefan de Vrij squandering a close-range Dimarco also struck the woodwork in stoppage time, but it was too resilience, clinical finishing, and tactical discipline, Fluminense eliminated one of Europe's top sides, keeping South American hopes alive in the tournament."We need to look one another in the eye and accept the fact that we need to be self-critical and never point the finger at one another,' Inter coach Cristian Chivu on their disappointing show.
