Al Hilal caused a resounding surprise on Tuesday by reaching the final of the World Cup for clubs. Thanks to two goals from the Saudi World Cup hero Salem Al Dawsari, the club from Saudi Arabia won 2-3 against Flamengo.
Al Dawsari converted a penalty after four minutes of play. Flamengo quickly leveled again, after which Al Dawsari was again accurate from 11 meters. With that penalty, Gerson received his second yellow card of the game and Flamengo was left with ten men.
An assist in Luciane Vietto’s 1-3 made Al Dawsari’s leading role complete in the Moroccan city of Tangier, even though it was still 2-3 in the final phase. The striker was again the big man in Saudi Arabia.
Al Dawsari performed one of the greatest World Cup stunts of all time in November by scoring the winning goal in the group match against the later world champions Argentina (1-2). Saudi Arabia subsequently declared a national holiday.
The fairy tale of Saudi Arabia in Qatar did not last long: defeats against Poland and Mexico eliminated the country in the group stage. Nevertheless, the players were welcomed as heroes when they returned home in the possible host country of the 2030 Football World Cup.
Al Hilal may face Real Madrid in the final of the World Cup for clubs on Saturday. The winner of last season’s Champions League will play in the semi-finals against the Egyptian club Al Ahly on Wednesday. Last year, Chelsea won the world title.
