Fluminense Breaks the Script on the World Stage
Ask anyone before kickoff, and few would have put serious money on Fluminense making it past Al Hilal in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals. Yet, as wild as football can get, the Brazilian side powered through with a 2-1 win, putting legends of the sport on notice. The match, played on July 4, turned into a massive payday and a tactical triumph for a club that’s more used to penny-pinching than shopping sprees.
No one can ignore the gulf between Fluminense’s wallet and Al Hilal’s. Al Hilal parade shiny signings and are bankrolled by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. Fluminense, stuck mid-table in Brazil’s Série A, run on a tight budget. Most of their squad would earn less in a year than some of the Saudi stars take home in a month. But football lore is written by underdogs with grit.
Coach Renato Portaluppi kept it simple after the match: "Soccer is decided on the pitch." And boy, his players proved him right.
Drama Unfolds: Martinelli, VAR, and the Triumph of Resilience
Fans didn’t have to wait long for action. Matheus Martinelli, the 22-year-old midfielder, sliced through Al Hilal’s defense in the first half. He coolly finished a clinical Fluminense move, sending supporters wild and raising hope that the giant-killing adventure might continue.
Right after halftime, Al Hilal seemed to claw their way back. Marcus Leonardo was at the heart of the drama, converting what he thought was a game-tying penalty. But a VAR review reversed the call. Instead of a scoreline shift, Fluminense got a second wind.
Al Hilal dominated stretches of the match. They fired off 14 shots (to Fluminense’s 10), but both teams could only boast three shots on target. Time and again, Fluminense absorbed wave after wave of pressure. Hercules—yes, the man named for heroes—delivered in the 70th minute with a goal that left Al Hilal stunned. His moment of brilliance showed how opportunity and nerve matter more than market value when it counts.
Al Hilal, for all their possession and flashy talent, just couldn’t crack Fluminense’s backline when it mattered most. They pressed, passed, and hit the wall.
This is not Fluminense’s first shock of the tournament either. Earlier, they sent a European powerhouse home—a feat few South American clubs have pulled off lately—with much less fanfare than the big-spending favorites receive.
For Fluminense’s fans, the dream is growing. Their team’s run has already banked prize money amounting to more than 80% of last year’s entire revenue. Suddenly, balancing the books seems easier, and new heroes are being made every week.
Next stop? A much-hyped semifinal against either Palmeiras or Chelsea—setting up another classic showdown between Brazilian style and global football power. With this kind of spirit, who really knows what could happen next?
- Jul, 5 2025
- Cassius Montgomery
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