Fluminense reached the semi-finals of the Club World Cup in the United States on Friday at the expense of Al Hilal: 2-1. Referee Danny Makkelie played a major role by reversing a penalty awarded to Al Hilal.
The match in Orlando was preceded by a minute of silence due to the death of Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother André. Al Hilal players João Cancelo and Rúben Neves were emotional. They played with Jota in the national team. Neves was also his teammate at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fluminense took the lead in the fortieth minute with a hard shot from Martinelli. Al Hilal thought they had an excellent opportunity to equalize just before half-time. Makkelie pointed to the penalty spot after Marcos Leonardo appeared to be clipped on the heels at the far post.
Makkelie was then called to the VAR screen. After reviewing the images, he reversed his decision, to the surprise of the Al Hilal players. After the break, the Saudi club still came alongside. Marcos Leonardo was able to shoot the ball into the goal from close range from a corner.
The victory still went to Fluminense thanks to substitute Hercules, who placed the ball in the far corner. Makkelie gave a yellow card to the complaining Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi in the final phase. In total, the Dutchman handed out eight yellow cards.
Fluminense will play against Chelsea or Palmeiras in the semi-finals, which is also active at the highest Brazilian level. These clubs will play their quarter-final on Saturday at 3:00 AM (Dutch time). The other quarter-finals are Paris Saint-Germain-Bayern Munich and Real Madrid-Borussia Dortmund.