February 08, (THEWILL) – Odion Ighalo’s Al Hilal, the Saudi Arabian champions, have reached their first Club World Cup final after defeating 10-man Flamengo 3-2 in the semi-final match played on Tuesday, at the Stade Ibn-Batouta in Tangier.
Salem Al Dawsari was the hero of the match as he scored two first-half penalties, which proved to be the difference between the two sides. The match got off to a flying start, with Al Dawsari opening the scoring from the spot only four minutes in. This was after Matheuzinho was judged to have fouled Luciano Vietto.
Flamengo, who are the Copa Libertadores champions, responded 20 minutes later through Pedro with a clinical side-footed finish. However, the game took a huge turn deep into first-half stoppage time, when Gerson was sent off for a second bookable offence after he fouled Vietto in the box.
Referee Istvan Kovacs pointed to the spot after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor. Al Dawsari once again made no mistake from the penalty spot, and Vietto fired in off the crossbar 20 minutes later to put Al Hilal in command. Before the last goal, Ighalo was substituted for Brazilian Michael.
Despite a late surge from Flamengo through Pedro, who scored his sixth goal in four games, Al Hilal held on to secure their place in the final, where they will face either Real Madrid or Al Ahly.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
