History made as Al-Hilal stun 10-man Flamengo to reach CWC final | OneFootball

Al-Hilal became the first side from Saudi Arabia to reach the Club World Cup final after confident a 3-2 win over Flamengo on Tuesday.

Scorer: Pedro 2o’, 90+1′; Al-Dawsari 4′ (P), 45+9′ (P), Vietto 70′

Things match got off to a flying start almost immediately after the whistle inside Grand Stade de Tanger.

Al Hilal looked well up for the challenge and a driving Luciano Vietto was bulldozed in the box by defender Matheuzinho seeing the referee point to the penalty spot after two minutes.

Salem Al-Dawsari then stepped up and, despite goalkeeper Aderbar Santos guessing the correct way, buried the penalty home for 1-0.

It’s not the first time he has netted against the Brazilian club in this competition – previously doing so in 2019.

After conceding, Flamengo ramped up the pressure and were able to pull level thanks to go-to man Pedro’s first-time strike.

Tempos then slowed as the match continued, yet the Brazilian side maintained control of the pitch before another defensive error undid all their hard work.

Gerson committed a foul in the box and picked up a second yellow in the process seeing Al-Dawsari turn things 2-1 on the stroke of half-time with yet another penalty.

Having the man advantage then aided Al-Hilal with the Brazilian club looking puzzled about how to get themselves back in the game.

Late on, Vietto got his name on the scoresheet when his close control skills led to a blistering strike for 3-1.

Dramatically, Flamengo had a lifeline when Pedro picked up on a deflection for 3-2, but the late surge of energy wasn’t enough, and the Brazilian giants crashed out.

In the final, Al-Hilal will face either Al Ahly or four-time winners Real Madrid.