Fluminense and Al Hilal faced off in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Club World Cup in a highly anticipated matchup. Both teams reached this stage by overcoming heavyweight opponents in the Round of 16 — defying expectations. The Brazilian side pulled off a major upset by eliminating Inter Milan, runners-up of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, while the Saudi club knocked out the mighty Manchester City.
Still, according to Opta Analyst projections, Al Hilal were the favorites to reach the semifinals, with a 59.8% chance of advancing.
The starting lineups reflected each team's strategic intentions. Fluminense lined up in a 3-5-2, with Cano and Jhon Arias forming the attacking duo. The only change from the side that beat Inter was the inclusion of left-back Fuentes, replacing the suspended Renê. Meanwhile, Al Hilal fielded the same XI that started against City, but this time arranged in a 5-3-2 formation — reminiscent of the tactical setup Simone Inzaghi used at Inter Milan, his previous club.
Match Summary
The first half was tightly contested and offered few clear chances. Al Hilal had 52% possession compared to Fluminense's 48%, and both sides registered three shots each, with only one on target for either team. The Brazilian side opened the scoring through a beautiful strike from Martinelli, capitalizing on a poorly cleared ball by João Cancelo. Al Hilal's best chance came from a set piece, as Koulibaly's header forced an excellent save from Fábio, preserving the 1-0 lead.
The game was heavily concentrated in midfield, with 56% of all passes occurring in the central third. Al Hilal had the edge in duels, winning 61% of them. On the negative side, Arias had a quiet first half — losing 11 of his 12 duels and giving the ball away 11 times in 29 possessions. The strikers were largely uninvolved: Marcos Leonardo and Cano had only 12 and 10 touches, respectively — only slightly more than goalkeeper Fábio, who had 8.
Defensively, left wing-back Al-Harbi stood out for Al Hilal, leading the first half in tackles and interceptions.
In the second half, Al Hilal pressed higher up the pitch and found the equalizer early. After another set piece and a Koulibaly header, the ball fell to Marcos Leonardo, who slotted it home. Despite the goal, the Saudi team continued pushing forward but struggled to break down Fluminense's compact defense. Al Hilal took 12 shots in the second half — four times more than in the first — but only three hit the target.
They finished the half with 65% possession and earned 10 corner kicks, compared to just one for Fluminense. Still, the Brazilian side proved more dangerous. One of their two shots on target in the second half found the back of the net — Hércules scored to restore the lead. Fluminense had another golden opportunity after a poor pass by Renan Lodi left Cano one-on-one with goalkeeper Bounou, but the Al Hilal keeper came out on top.
In the closing minutes, Al Hilal pushed for an equalizer, bringing on striker Hamdallah in place of midfielder Kanno. However, they couldn't find the breakthrough, and Fluminense secured a spot in the semifinals.
Defensively, Fluminense put in a rock-solid performance. Center-back Ignácio was the standout, leading the game in defensive actions (16), clearances (9), and blocked shots (3). Right-back Samuel Xavier also impressed — he led the match in interceptions (3) and assisted the game-winning goal.
Despite the loss, Koulibaly had an excellent game for Al Hilal. The defender won 10 of his 11 duels, provided the assist for their goal, and led the match in tackles with 5.
Tactical Analysis
When Fluminense had possession, their buildup started with the three center-backs, while wing-backs Samuel Xavier and Fuentes pushed high to align with the forward pair in the central channel. Meanwhile, Al Hilal, in their defensive phase, avoided high pressing and maintained five players in their back line, with their wing-backs closely marking Fluminense's wide players. The image below helps illustrate this tactical structure.
Fluminense's attacking formation and movement patterns.
Similarly, when Al Hilal had the ball, they also relied on a back three for their buildup, pushing their wing-backs high up the pitch — a strategy quite similar to Fluminense's. However, the Brazilian side defended differently. Left midfielder Nonato joined Cano and Arias to form a front line of three, while Bernal and Martinelli (replaced by Hércules in the second half) sat deeper in midfield. Additionally, Fluminense's wing-backs were tasked with marking their Saudi counterparts, and the three center-backs tracked the attacking duo of Marcos Leonardo and Malcom. The following image illustrates this defensive setup.
Al Hilal's attacking formation and Fluminense's defensive setup.
Regarding Al Hilal's buildup play, it's important to highlight Rúben Neves (marked in blue in the image), who is originally a midfielder but has been deployed as a center-back since the Round of 16 match against Manchester City. He was the team's primary distributor, leading the game in passes with 71 (92% accuracy) and topping the chart for line-breaking passes with 25 successful out of 36 attempts.
Neither team opted for high pressing. Instead, both chose to defend in mid-to-low blocks, aiming to reduce space and limit counterattacking opportunities. This is reflected in the PPDA (Passes Allowed per Defensive Action) zone maps for each team, which show that most of the pressing occurred in their own defensive thirds. On the map, red zones indicate higher pressing intensity, while blue zones indicate lower pressure.
PPDA comparison showing defensive pressure zones for both teams.
Conclusion
Fluminense defeated Al Hilal in the first-ever meeting between the two sides, securing a place in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals. Once again, the Brazilian team showed defensive resilience and attacking efficiency, earning another win against a favored opponent.
It was their second consecutive victory as underdogs — first against Inter Milan, now against Al Hilal — underscoring the strength of their collective play, tactical discipline, and competitive maturity under coach Renato Gaúcho.
In the semifinals, Fluminense will face Chelsea, who have already eliminated Benfica and Palmeiras. It will be another major challenge against top European competition, but based on their campaign so far, Fluminense have proven they are ready to compete with the best in the world.
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