FIFA Club World Cup
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Fluminense have upset Inter 2-0 in the round of 16 at the Club World Cup.
The Brazilians' goals were separated by 90 minutes in Charlotte. German Cano opened the scoring in the third minute heading home from close range, before Hercules clinched the win in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.
Fluminense advance to the quarter-final, where they will face the winner of Manchester City vs Al Hilal.
GO FURTHER
Inter 0 Fluminense 2: Cano and Hercules send second Brazilian side through to Club World Cup quarter-finals
No holding back from Inter captain Lautaro Martinez as he spoke after the match.
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Ed W.: Great news for the tournament. Delighted for Fluminense.
Chris S.: Thiago Silva, what an absolute world class, Rolls Royce of a footballer. Incredible to watch.
Tim S.: Inter got Inter’d.
Peter M.: It looks like last season has caught up with Inter, defenders look like they've never met before. Sommer is all over the place, indecisive on the first goal, slow to get down to a shot. Heat might have something to do with it.
Miles D.: This crowd is absolutely dismal. Considering that the US didn't even bid for this tournament, feels very strange to play a game in the middle of the workday in a stadium this big.
The fact that Thiago Silva is not the oldest player for Fluminense makes it even more impressive that their Club World Cup campaign will continue into the quarter-final.
Goalkeeper Fabio, who turns 45 in September, was rock solid between the posts again for the Brazilians today.
He made four saves, including a really smart one with his legs to deny Martinez, on his way to yet another vital clean sheet.
What an afternoon for Thiago Silva.
The 40-year-old was colossal again at the heart of the Fluminense, captaining them to a famous victory.
He has led his side to clean sheets against Dortmund — with Guirassy up front — and Inter — with Martinez up front — at this tournament.
Like a fine wine!
Not the time for Inter to fail to score for the first time at this Club World Cup.
I don't think they deserved to win the game, but they definitely should have scored.
Stefan De Vrij had their best chance, by some distance and Lautaro Martinez had three shots in quick succession, with the last of those bouncing out off the post.
It is the first time Inter have drawn a blank in front of goal since the UEFA Champions League final.
Before this game, Opta’s tournament predictions had Fluminense with the lowest probability to progress through to the quarter-finals. Stupid numbers, eh. What is Portuguese for “Football is not played on spreadsheets, lads…“?
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Jhon Arias was a very deserving winner of the Player of the Match award and our friends over at Opta have provided some lovely stats to illustrate his dominance.
He led Fluminense in each of the following stat lines:
Everyone of a Fluminense persuasion will be watching the second game of the day with real interest.
The Brazilians will contest their quarter-final against the winner of that match in Orlando, between Manchester City and Al Hilal.
As the president of his new fan club (UK branch), I'm delighted to tell you Jhon Arias has just been announced as the winner of FIFA's strangely titled "Superior Player of the Match" award, his third such prize in four appearances for Fluminense at this tournament.
It has been such a bruising campaign for Inter.
With a few weeks left of the season, they still harboured genuine ambitions of winning the treble. But they finished the season without a single winners' medal — losing out in Serie A to Napoli and then losing the Champions League final to PSG.
And they looked very tired in this Club World Cup campaign.
The silver lining from this defeat for their players is that they finally get to go on holiday and recharge their batteries ahead of next season.
We spoke about the European teams restoring the natural order of world football at this tournament, but that is a huge win for Fluminense to knock out one of Europe's truly elite teams.
And it continues the samba success at this tournament — Brazilian teams have won more games against European teams than they have lost at the Club World Cup.
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FT Inter 0-2 Fluminense
A famous victory for Fluminense in Charlotte, North Carolina!
They are jubilant having taken out of the beaten UEFA Champions League finalists and boy, did they deserve it.
Goals at the start and end of the match and they become the second Brazilian team to make it into the last eight at this Club World Cup.
90+7' Inter 0-2 Fluminense
Autoschadenfreude. A word coined to outline the joy that a person takes from their own misfortune.
The Inter players will have no doubt wanted to win the tournament, but now they are out, there must surely be some happiness that they can return home and rest up after a long, gruelling season.
They deserve a holiday.
90+6' Inter 0-2 Fluminense
Despite looking crestfallen after the Hercules goal, Inter are still pushing to take this game to extra time.
Dimarco has another try from distance and it was a superb strike from a couple of yards outside the box but it cannoned back off the crossbar.
90+5' Inter 0-2 Fluminense
More lacklustre defending from Inter in this game and it has sealed their Club World Cup fate.
They weren't able to deal with the bouncing ball and it allowed Fluminense to move towards the penalty area. Hercules was the carrier and, after having some space freed up for him 20 yards out, drove a left-footed effort right into the bottom corner and out of Sommer's reach.
That surely seals a richly deserved for the Brazilians who are on their way to the quarter-final!
90+3' Inter 0-2 Fluminense
The dagger for the Fluminense — substiute Hercules has won it for them in stoppage time!
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90+2' Inter 0-1 Fluminense
A huge chance for Inter, maybe their last real chance of this last-16 tie.
Fluminense had been pushed too far towards their own goal line and that freed up Carlos Augusto at the top of the box.
He stepped onto an effort that had sat up nicely, but got the execution all wrong and hammered his effort so far over the bar.
90+1' Inter 0-1 Fluminense
For the second time today, seven minutes have been added on by the officials.
The Fluminense players are completely camped inside their own penalty area now — can Inter force extra time?
87' Inter 0-1 Fluminense
There is no greater man for those three quickfire chances to fall to than Lautaro Martinez.
But he was twice denied by Fabio and then by the base of the upright.
He was unlucky with the effort that hit the post, but shouldn't have given the Fluminense goalkeeper a chance to save the second.
The Brazilians would be wise not to allow the Argentine a fourth clean look at goal in what remains of this last-16 tie.