Jhon Arias took responsibility for Fluminense in the 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the round of 16 of the World Cup
Colombian Jhon Arias took responsibility for Fluminense in the Club World Cup. On Monday (6/30), the 27-year-old forward was elected by FIFA as the best player in the match against Inter Milan, at the Bank of America Stadium, in Charlotte (USA), in the round of 16 of the tournament.
The Tricolor Carioca advanced to the quarterfinals by beating the Italians 2-0. Arias participated in the first goal, two minutes into the match, when he crossed into the penalty area. The ball deflected off Bastoni, gained height and fell towards the penalty area. Smart, center forward Germán Cano, 37, headed the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Sommer and scored the 106th goal in his 200th match with the tricolor jersey.
With only 32% possession, Fluminense defended itself for most of the match against Inter, showing competence in the three-defender scheme (Ignácio, Thiago Silva and Freytes). When it recovered the ball, it relied on the speed of Arias.
The winger was the escape valve for the team coached by Renato Gaúcho and moved both on the wings and in the midfield. In the 29th minute of the first half, Arias exchanged passes with Germán Cano and shot low for Sommer to palm away.
In the rebound, Samuel Xavier missed a clear chance. In the 38th minute, Jhon was responsible for lifting the ball that resulted in the exchange between Thiago Silva and Renê and the header goal by Ignácio. Unfortunately for Flu, the number 4 was offside at the time of the shot.
In the second half, at 16 minutes, Renê took a throw-in, Cano made the cutback, and Arias tried it from outside the area. Sommer jumped to the left corner and flicked the ball to the goal line. The Colombian also disrupted the Inter Milan defense with his runs, dribbles and fouls.
Jhon’s actions irritated the Italian team’s defenders. Arias had already been named man of the match in Fluminense’s draw with Borussia Dortmund (0-0) and in the victory over Ulsan HD (4-2), in the group stage of the World Cup. Against the South Koreans, the forward scored a beautiful goal from a free kick and assisted Keno to head the ball into the net.
