Hercules, who scored off the bench in the last-16 win over Inter Milan, seals victory for Club World Cup's underdogs Fluminense over Al-Hilal.
An 83rd-minute Weverton own goal from a deflected Malo Gusto cross gave Chelsea a nervy 2-1 win over a spirited Palmeiras side in the Club World Cup quarter-finals at Lincoln Financial Field on Friday.
Cole Palmer also got on the scoresheet in the first half for Chelsea, who move on to face more Brazilian opposition in Fluminense in New York on Tuesday with a place in the final on the line.
Palmeiras roared back after halftime with teenage winger Estevao, who is soon to join Chelsea, equalising in the 53rd minute with a stunning strike from a tight angle.
"Tough game as we expected," said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. "First half, I think we were a little bit better compared to the second half, we controlled the game much better.
"But then they scored and the game changed but at the end we scored and I think we deserved to win. Congratulations to the players, because they have been very good."
Chelsea started the match well despite missing key defensive midfield duo Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, with 21-year-old Andrey Santos making his first start some two and a half years after joining the club.
They controlled possession and repeatedly threatened through Pedro Neto, who caused chaos for Palmeiras defence down the right flank.
Palmer struck in the 16th minute, receiving a pass from Trevoh Chalobah on the edge of the box and gliding past three defenders with ease before dispatching a precise left-footed strike into the bottom corner.
Despite their dominance, Chelsea squandered several opportunities, including Christopher Nkunku's glaring miss in the 34th minute when he blasted over with only goalkeeper Weverton to beat.
Palmeiras, missing key defenders Joaquin Piquerez, Gustavo Gomez and Murilo, struggled to contain Chelsea's fluid attack in the first half but emerged from the break with renewed energy.
They nearly equalised when Bruno Fuchs headed narrowly wide from a corner before Estevao worked his magic with an effort that should be a strong candidate for goal of the tournament so far.
The 18-year-old showcased his immense talent by cutting in from the right, gliding past Levi Colwill and smashing an unstoppable shot from a tight angle that flew over keeper Robert Sanchez and off the underside of the crossbar.
"Happy because we won, happy because he scored, so it's a perfect night," Maresca said of his new signing.
Just when Palmeiras looked at their most dangerous, though, Chelsea found the winner down the other end.
Gusto found space down the left and his attempted cross deflected off defender Fuchs and wrongfooted Weverton, the ball bouncing off the goalkeeper's back and into the net to end Palmeiras dreams of an all-Brazilian semi-final.
Hercules seals Fluminense win over Al-Hilal
Brazil's Fluminense continued their fairy-tale run at the Club World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal in Orlando, Florida, to book their place in the semi-finals.
The tournament underdogs struck first through Matheus Martinelli in the opening half before Al-Hilal hit back after the break when Marcus Leonardo found the net.
But Fluminense refused to be denied and regained their lead in the 70th minute through Hercules to secure a memorable win over Al-Hilal in the first meeting between the two clubs.
"If you asked me a while ago whether we would reach this stage, a semi-final, I wouldn't say I wouldn't believe it because I believe in everything that I do, but it was so far away from us," said captain Thiago Silva.
The Brazilian side, who entered the tournament as one of the biggest long shots, will now face Chelsea, who beat Palmeiras in Friday's other quarter-final clash.
Fluminense opened the scoring when Joao Cancelo failed to clear his line, allowing Gabriel Fuentes to roll the ball to Martinelli who brilliantly picked out the far post with a left-footed strike into the top right corner.
"Many people didn't believe in our potential, in our team but each game and each step we proved we can be tough," said Martinelli, who will miss the semi-final after picking up a yellow card shortly after his goal.
"When we step on the pitch it's difficult to beat our team."
During first-half stoppage time, a rising Kalidou Koulibaly headed the ball on target but a fully-stretched Fabio used his left hand to swat it away and keep Fluminense in front.
Al-Hilal made a quick start to the second half and drew level after a cushioned header from a wide-open Koulibaly hit the legs of Leonardo, who quickly reset his feet and fired home from in close.
Moments later, Fluminense's Samuel Xavier looked to have tripped Leonardo in the area, prompting the referee to immediately point to the spot, but after a VAR review it was considered "normal football contact" and the call was reversed.
Fluminense nearly restored their lead in the 55th minute when German Cano broke free but rather than shooting he tried to take the ball around Yassine Bounou and the Moroccan goalkeeper managed to poke away the ball.
Hercules, who scored off the bench in the last-16 win over Inter Milan, came in for Martinelli after the break and struck again when he took a brilliant touch into the area and fired into the bottom corner.
"I really want to congratulate my squad for the way that they played, they poured their hearts out on the pitch tonight," said Al-Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi. "And of course we are sorry but we need to be proud."
The match began with players and fans observing a minute's silence in memory of Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash on Thursday.
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