CHARLOTTE: Fluminense reached the Club World Cup quarter-finals with a stunning 2–0 win over Inter Milan as German Cano’s early goal and substitute Hercules’ stoppage-time strike toppled the Champions League runners-up in sweltering heat on Monday.
Coach Renato’s decision to line up a three-man defense paid off, catching Inter off guard and leaving the 2023 Copa Libertadores champions largely untroubled throughout the match.
“I put it in their heads that it would work. Inter is a great team. They have much more money than us, but on the field it’s 11 against 11,” Renato told DAZN.
“The team believed, fought, and stayed focused for the 90 minutes.”
Fluminense struck after three minutes when Cano pounced on a deflected cross and headed in from close range, putting the ball through goalkeeper Yann Sommer’s legs for a dream start.
Inter dominated possession, but Fluminense created the better chances, with Colombian forward Jhon Arias causing all sorts of trouble for the Italian side’s defense and Sommer.
Ignacio thought he had doubled their lead in the 39th minute as he nodded in from close range after a series of headers in the box, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The Italians pushed for an equalizer after the break but were frustrated by a well-organized defense, while Stefan de Vrij missed a glorious chance after Lautaro Martinez set him up in the six-yard box after 69 minutes.
The 44-year-old Fluminense keeper Fabio also had a stellar performance, pulling off some key saves including denying substitute Sebastiano Esposito with his feet before Martinez struck the post late on.
Hercules sealed the win for Fluminense three minutes into added time, calmly slotting home from the edge of the box to send the Brazilians through to a last-eight clash with either Manchester City or Al Hilal on Friday in Orlando.
“The coach told us it was going to be a very difficult game, we knew that,” midfielder Hercules said. “But we were very focused on the game, that’s what we work for. And that’s it. The result is there.”
Fluminense shock Inter 2-0 to reach Club World Cup quarter-finals
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Fluminense shock Inter 2-0 to reach Club World Cup quarter-finals
- Coach Renato’s decision to line up a three-man defense paid off, catching Inter off guard and leaving the 2023 Copa Libertadores champions largely untroubled throughout the match
Shakib Al-Hasan shines as MI Emirates down table-toppers Desert Vipers by 4 wickets
- All-round performance helped move the team back to second in the points table
DUBAI: MI Emirates registered a composed four-wicket victory over the table toppers Desert Vipers to seal their third straight win in the DP World ILT20 Season 4 at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. After a disciplined bowling performance in the first innings, MI Emirates overcame early pressure before Kieron Pollard and Shakib Al-Hasan guided the team to victory.
The Desert Vipers managed to score 124 courtesy of Dan Lawrence’s gritty 35 off 34 balls, but MI Emirates navigated a tricky chase with relative ease. With the ball, spinner Al-Hasan’s two wickets for 14 runs led the charge and kept the Vipers in check, before Zahoor Khan’s death bowling ensured the total remained below par.
In reply, MI Emirates stumbled in the powerplay and lost momentum in the middle overs, but Pollard’s 26 off 15 balls flipped the contest decisively. Even after his dismissal, Al-Hasan held firm to see the chase through, striking the winning boundary to complete a controlled four-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.
MI Emirates endured a slow powerplay as the Vipers applied sustained pressure. David Payne set the tone early, removing Jonny Bairstow (5 off 5), while Lockie Ferguson struck to dismiss Muhammad Waseem (18 off 13). They finished the powerplay with 35/2 on the board.
The batting side lost momentum through the middle overs as the Vipers bowlers tightened the screws. Nicholas Pooran (17 off 17) mounted a brief counterattack with two sixes but was trapped LBW by Lawrence. Wickets fell at regular intervals, including Tom Banton (10 off 10) being bowled by a sharp Qais Ahmad delivery.
Then, skipper Pollard swung the momentum decisively, taking Ahmad apart with a pair of sixes in the 15th over that turned the chase in MI Emirates’ favor. He was eventually dismissed by Matiullah Khan, but Al-Hasan (17* off 25) held his nerve, anchoring the finish before striking the winning boundary off Matiullah to close the chase at 124/6 in 17.3 overs.
In the first innings, the Vipers made a subdued start in the powerplay, as Chris Woakes was excellent up front, conceding just 15 runs from his three overs. Allah Ghazanfar struck the key blow by removing Max Holden (20 off 18). Fakhar Zaman (13 off 13) tried to build momentum, but the lack of boundaries and regular dots ensured the Vipers were restricted to 35/1 after six overs.
MI Emirates tightened their grip through the middle overs as Al-Hasan struck twice in a miserly spell to remove Zaman and Sam Curran (4 off 4), conceding just eight runs in two overs. Arab Gul added to the pressure by dismissing Hasan Nawaz (13 off 19), leaving the Vipers reeling after losing three wickets in as many overs and the score at 54/4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Lawrence and Jason Roy (14 off 18) showed intent in patches, adding a cautious stand of 42 runs in 40 balls, but boundaries were scarce. Al-Hasan capped an outstanding spell, leaving the Vipers with little impetus. Khan delivered a decisive final over, finishing with two for 17, as regular wickets in the death overs ensured the Vipers were kept in check, leaving MI Emirates a manageable target of 125 to seal the chase.
Al-Hasan said: “It was a surface that suited the spinners, and the focus was on hitting the right areas consistently. I was able to do that today, which was pleasing. I’m glad it helped the team. Batting wasn’t easy on this pitch either. With so many powerful hitters in our lineup, someone needed to play the anchoring role, and I was happy to take on that responsibility to make sure we finished the chase.”
Desert Vipers stand-in skipper Curran commented: “It was another low-scoring game on a tricky surface. The pitch was slow, and facing a side like MI Emirates, who have high-quality spinners with a lot of variation, made it even tougher. Despite that, I thought our bowlers put in a strong effort. With qualification already secured, we chose to rotate the squad, and what happened to Lockie reinforces the importance of managing workloads.”
