Fluminense Upsets Inter Milan in Club World Cup

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In a surprising turn of events, Germán Cano scored with a header just three minutes into the match, leading Fluminense to a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan, a team that had reached the Champions League final. This match took place at Bank of America Stadium on Monday, with an attendance of only 20,030 spectators.

Fluminense will now advance to face either Manchester City or Al Hilal in Orlando, Florida, on Friday.

As the temperature soared to around 90 degrees Fahrenheit, John Arias made a slightly deflected cross from the right corner that Cano skillfully slotted between goalkeeper Jan Somer’s legs to secure the early lead.

That was really all they needed.

Fluminense seemed to have doubled their lead just before halftime, but Ignacio’s header was ruled offside, much to the disappointment of the fans. On the contrary, Inter Milan seemed eager to level the scores.

Throughout the match, the Italians held 68% of the possession and outshot Fluminense 16-11. Yet, they just couldn’t find the net. It was almost comical how often the ball bounced away from them. Many times, there was simply no one to follow up on saved shots.

As the match drew to a close, Fluminense’s Hercules added another goal, bringing the score to 2-0.

After the final whistle, Fluminense players celebrated exuberantly, jumping up and down on the field together, their arms wrapped around one another in joy.

Inter Milan’s captain, Lautaro Martinez, expressed his frustration post-match, stating, “People who don’t want to be here should leave.” It was a comment reflecting the team’s disappointment and perhaps a sense of urgency needed for future matches.

The atmosphere was tense at times, particularly when a Fluminense player grabbed a ball from the sidelines, causing a brief skirmish that resulted in a yellow card for the Brazilian team after some exchanged words.