Fluminense caused a major upset on Monday by eliminating Inter Milan from the Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory in Charlotte, securing their place in the quarter-finals.
German Cano opened the scoring early for the Brazilian side with a close-range header, and despite intense pressure from Inter in the second half, Fluminense held firm. Substitute Hercules then sealed the win late in the match.
The Rio de Janeiro club qualified for the tournament by winning the 2023 Copa Libertadores and now become the second Brazilian team to advance to the last eight, joining Palmeiras who had already reached the quarter-finals.
Led by 40-year-old captain Thiago Silva—the experienced former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea defender—Fluminense will travel to Orlando to face either Manchester City or Al-Hilal in Friday’s quarter-final clash.
“We knew they would be tough opponents. Less than a month ago, they were playing the Champions League final, but we performed really well,” Silva told broadcaster DAZN.
This victory continues a strong run for Brazilian teams against elite European sides in the US, following Botafogo’s win over PSG and Flamengo’s success against Chelsea in the group stage.
Inter Milan entered the tournament following their heavy 5-0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League final in May, under new coach Cristian Chivu.
Though they topped their group, Inter struggled to convince during the initial phase and found themselves behind within three minutes in front of just over 20,000 spectators at Bank of America Stadium on a sweltering day.
A cross from Fluminense’s Arias on the right took a deflection off defender Alessandro Bastoni, causing the ball to bounce awkwardly before veteran Argentine striker Cano was on hand to head home from close range past goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Inter’s Ignacio thought he had levelled before half-time, only to have his goal disallowed for offside.
Early in the second half, Sommer tipped a curling shot from Arias wide of the post, but Inter then pressed hard to avoid elimination.
Stefan de Vrij missed a close-range chance after captain Lautaro Martinez headed down a cross, while Martinez’s well-struck effort from the edge of the box struck the post.
Martinez had also been denied by Fluminense’s goalkeeper Fabio earlier, and the final confirmation that Inter’s hopes were fading came in stoppage time.
Substitute Hercules capitalised on a loose ball, charged into the box and calmly slotted a low shot into the corner. Federico Dimarco then rattled the woodwork for Inter as Fluminense held on for a famous victory, keeping South America’s hopes alive in the tournament.
