Fluminense 2-1 Al-Hilal, Club World Cup 2025: Ex-Blues Defender Thiago Silva 'Rooting For Chelsea' - Know Why

Thiago Silva is "rooting for Chelsea" in their quarter-final against Palmeiras in the hopes of meeting his former side in the final four of the Club World Cup.

Fluminense booked their spot in the semi-final after they beat Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal 2-1, with goals from Martinelli and Hercules.

The latter came off the bench to restore Fluminense's lead after Marcos Leonardo's leveller, meaning that four of the team's eight goals at the tournament have come via substitutes. Only Manchester City (five) benefitted from more.

The Brazilian side, who finished second in Group F behind Borussia Dortmund, dug deep in the final minutes as Al-Hilal chased a second equaliser, to set up a clash against either Palmeiras or Chelsea.

Fluminense captain Silva admitted he wants to play the Blues next but does not think it will be a straightforward match for the English club.

"Now I just need to recover and see the game between Chelsea and Palmeiras," Silva told DAZN.

"I'm rooting for Chelsea, of course, but Palmeiras are a big team as well.

"The recovery for me is not fast, but I am here, and I am happy. In my head, I am very happy for the team arriving in the semi-finals."

On their win over Al-Hilal, Silva added: "I am very happy and very proud of my team. It is not easy to play in this competition and arrive at the semi-final.

“It's too far for me to imagine this moment, but I am very happy for the team and for myself as well and for the performance.

“We stayed together all the time. It's never easy to play against a team like this, but Fluminense is there, and I am very happy for this."

Simone Inzaghi's side failed to build on their clinical performance against Manchester City, having 12 shots in the second half as they tried to force extra time late on, but they could not find a way through Fluminense's resolute defence.

Inzaghi remained proud of his Al-Hilal players and put the loss down to "external events".

"I am proud to coach Al-Hilal and proud of all the players in the team, and I congratulated all the players without exception for the wonderful level they presented in the Club World Cup," said Inzaghi.

"There are some external events that affected Al-Hilal players in the match against Fluminense, and I do not want to delve into them. I congratulate my players on their heroic performance, both in the match and in the tournament in general."