Al-Hilal stunned Flamengo as they held on for a 3-2 win to book their place in the Club World Cup final.
The tournament has often turned into a shootout between the best sides in Europe and South American in recent years, and no Saudi Arabian side had ever previously made it to the final.
That has changed now though, as two penalties from Salem Al Dawsari and a strike from Luciano Vietto sent Al-Hilal on their way to a famous victory.
They will potentially face Real Madrid in the final, with the Champions League holders in action against Egyptian side Al Ahly on Wednesday.
Al Dawsari’s perfectly placed spot-kick gave Al-Hilal the lead in the first minutes of the match after Matheuzinho tripped Vietto inside the box.
Pedro equalised for Flamengo with a close-range strike in the 20th minute but Al-Hilal regained the lead just before half-time as Al Dawsari again converted from the spot, with Gerson sent off for a second booking after stomping on Vietto in the penalty area.
With Flamengo reduced to 10 men for the entire second half, Al-Hilal controlled the tempo and eventually scored the third, when Al Dawsari returned the favour to Vietto, putting the ball on a plate for the Argentinian to score with a point-blank strike.
Pedro’s close-range range effort in added time was too little to late for Flamengo, who became only the sixth Copa Libertadores champions not to advance to the final.
