Reuters
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Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal stuns South American champions Flamengo to reach the Club World Cup final with a 3-2 win on Tuesday thanks to two Salem Al Dawsari penalties and a Luciano Vietto strike from close range.
Al Dawsari delivered a perfect penalty kick that gave Al Hilal the lead in the opening minutes of the game after Matheuzinho tripped Vietto inside the box.
Pedro equalized for Flamengo with a close-range strike in the 20th minute, but Al Hilal regained the lead just before half-time when Al Dawsari again succeeded in taking the penalty, Gerson sent off for second card after stepping on Vietto in the penalty area.
With Flamengo down to 10 men for the second half, Al Hilal controlled the tempo and eventually scored the third, as Al Dawsari responded favorably to Vietto, sending the ball wide of the post for the Argentine to score. goal with a close-range shot.
Pedro’s close effort in injury time was too little for Flamengo, who became the sixth Copa Libertadores champions not to reach the final.
Al Hilal, the first Saudi team to reach the Club World Cup final, will meet the winner of Real Madrid’s semi-final against Al Ahly on Wednesday in Rabat.
