Egyptian giants Al Ahly’s hopes of lifting the Fifa Club World Cup were extinguished in painful fashion as Fluminense sealed a 2-0 semi-final victory on Tuesday.
The African champions started brightly but were ultimately outdone by the Brazilian outfit, who advance to face either Urawa Reds or Manchester City in Friday’s showpiece finale.
Al Ahly talisman Percy Tau spurned an early opening when veteran defender Felipe Melo made a crucial last-ditch sliding tackle.
Ten minutes before half-time Fabio made an excellent, one-handed save from a Kahraba header.
Tau was then involved in the game’s pivotal moment, bringing down Marcelo in the box with a clumsy foul. Jhon Arias converted the penalty to give Flu a 71st-minute lead.
The Red Devils almost responded instantly when Tau met a low cross but lacked power on his close-range effort.
Yet there was to be no dramatic Ahly comeback as substitute John Kennedy curled home Fluminense’s second goal late on to seal victory.
While Al Ahly’s decorated veterans failed to seize their opportunity on the global stage, Fluminense’s emerging talents punished them ruthlessly.
The newly-crowned South American champions now stand one win away from completing a fairytale story in Friday’s Club World Cup finale.
