- Fluminense eliminated Champions League finalists Inter with a 2:0 win in Charlotte
- German Cano scored in the 3rd minute and Hercules sealed the win in stoppage time
- Inter missed several chances in front of a nearly empty stadium
Key Takeaways:
Fluminense delivered the first major upset in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup after securing a 2:0 victory over Inter and advancing in the tournament at the expense of the Champions League finalists. German Cano scored in the opening minutes, and Hercules sealed the result in the final moments. Notably, the match in Charlotte took place in front of a nearly empty stadium.
40-year-old Thiago Silva captained his boyhood club Fluminense to a historic victory and clean sheet over Inter Milan.
And he was loving it 🙌 pic.twitter.com/H7IDM5ixJX
— B/R Football (@brfootball) June 30, 2025
Cano found the net as early as the third minute, and by the end of the first half the Brazilians had created several more good chances to increase their lead.
In the second half, the Italian giants launched wave after wave of attacks, but the ball just wouldn’t go in, with Lautaro Martinez missing a number of clear opportunities. On one occasion, even the post came to Fluminense’s rescue.
And just when everyone expected the equaliser to finally arrive, the opposite happened — in the final seconds of the game, the South Americans struck again through Hercules, putting the match beyond doubt.
Fluminense thus became the second Brazilian team to reach the Club World Cup quarterfinals, following Palmeiras. For Inter, it was yet another bitter disappointment in a season they will be hoping to forget as soon as possible.