German Cano’s header from close range gave Fluminense an early lead in their last-16 tie and they then withstood an onslaught from the Italian side in the second half before substitute Hercules sealed their victory late on.
The Rio de Janeiro outfit, who qualified for the Club World Cup thanks to their Copa Libertadores triumph in 2023, become the second Brazilian side to make the last eight after Palmeiras had already sealed their quarter-final spot.
Captained by 40-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea centre-back Thiago Silva, ‘Flu’ will now go to Orlando for a tie on Friday against either Manchester City or Al-Hilal.
“We knew they were not going to be easy opponents. Less than a month ago they were playing the Champions League final, but we played really well,” Silva told broadcaster DAZN.
It is the latest victory for a Brazilian team against prestigious European opposition at the tournament in the United States, after Botafogo defeated PSG and Flamengo got the better of Chelsea in the group stage.
“This is a very important victory for our fans, for all of Brazil, for my country, for South America,” said Jhon Arias, the livey Colombian winger who was named man of the match.
“We are not only representing Fluminense but a whole continent and we are really pleased with what we are doing in this World Cup.”
– ‘Not our day’ –
Inter came to the US off the back of their 5-0 defeat by PSG in the UEFA Champions League final at the end of May and with a new coach in Cristian Chivu.
They did not fully convince during the group stage despite topping their section and they found themselves trailing inside three minutes before only just over 20,000 fans at the Bank of America Stadium on another hot afternoon.
A cross from the Fluminense right by Arias took a deflection off Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni and the ball then bounced awkwardly before veteran Argentine striker Cano arrived to head in through the legs of goalkeeper Yann Sommer from close range.
Ignacio thought he had made it 2-0 before the interval, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
Sommer then tipped a fine curling strike by Arias around the post just after the hour mark, before Inter began to turn up the pressure in an attempt to avoid exiting the competition.
Stefan de Vrij prodded wide from close range after captain Lautaro Martinez had headed down a cross, and the latter then saw a fine shot on the turn from the edge of the box come back off an upright.
Martinez had also been denied by Fluminense goalkeeper Fabio moments earlier, and confirmation that it would not be Inter’s day arrived in stoppage time.
On as a substitute, Hercules pounced on a falling ball and drove into the box before firing low into the corner.
Federico Dimarco then hit the woodwork at the other end as Fluminense held out for the victory to keep South American hopes of glory at the tournament firmly alive.
“We never gave in. We kept going until the end but it was not our day,” Chivu told DAZN. (AFP)