Fluminense beat Al-Hilal to reach Club World Cup semifinals

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Hercules 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.

Hercules, 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 head referee Danny Makkelie overturned the decision after consulting VAR.

Takeaways

Fluminense moves on to the semifinal against the winner of the Chelsea-Palmerias match later Friday at Philadelphia. The semifinal match will be held Tuesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

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