Hércules scores winner in 70th minute, Fluminense beats Al Hilal 2-1 to reach Club World Cup semis

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Hércules came off the bench and scored in the 70th minute to lift Fluminense past Al Hilal 2-1 in a Club World Cup quarterfinal match on Friday.

Physical play resulted in a pair of yellow cards against both sides as they vied for scoring chances in the first half in front of a crowd of 43,091 at Camping World Stadium.

Fluminense struck first after a poor clearance from Al Hilal allowed Brazillian midfielder Martinelli to find the back of the net.

The second half opened with an emphatic response from Al Hilal, which had not lost a match in the tournament. Marcos Leonardo, who scored the winner in a 4-3 surprise victory over Manchester City, scored in the 51st minute to tie the game at 1.

Hércules, a halftime substitution, scored the tiebreaker and secured a semifinal round berth for Fluminense.

Key moment

Al Hilal was awarded a penalty kick in the first half, but referee Danny Makkelie overturned the decision after consulting VAR.

Takeaways

Fluminense will face Chelsea, a 2-1 winner over Palmerias, in a semifinal round match Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

What they said

“Once again, we had another great match. It's not for any team to overcome Manchester City, so we knew the challenge. For the better part of the match we were in control. Playing against such a strong opponent you will suffer, and you must learn to do that.” — Fluminense coach Renato Gaúcho.

“(The players) put their heart on the pitch. We played five games in 16 days. They gave it their all. We went beyond the best expectations and we did it with our own.” — Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer