Dortmund top group at Club World Cup; Inter win to reach last 16
dpa
Cincinnati, Ohio
Borussia Dortmund beat Ulsan HD 1-0 on Wednesday to reach the last 16 at the Club World Cup from Group F along with Fluminense although the Brazilians were held 0-0 by Mamelodi Sundowns in the other match.
Dortmund were utterly dominant against their South Korean opponents but a little wasteful as they only managed a 36th-minute goal from Daniel Svensson.
That was however enough to snatch first place in the group with seven points from Fluminense, who finished on five, one ahead of South Africans Sundowns who failed to get the win they needed to advance.
Ulsan finished on zero points.
In the last 16, Dortmund will face the Group E runner-up on Tuesday in Atlanta, while Fluminense take on the Group E winners a day earlier in Charlotte.
'In the end we deserved to advance together with Fluminense,' Dortmund coach Niko Kovac told streaming portal DAZN.
'We wanted to get through the group stage, we did that. The first half was decent given the heat. In the second half you could see that the lads preserved the lead.'
Dortmund had newly signed Jobe Bellingham in the starting 11 again, and like in their previous match the substitutes following the game from the dressing room to keep out of the intense afternoon heat.
Serhou Gurassy wasted an early chance when he aimed inches left for the Germans who were in complete control from the outset.
Bellingham set up Guirassy to be denied by goalkeeper Jo Hyeon Woo before Bellingham blazed over.
Dortmund finally broke the deadlock in the 36th when Bellingham set up Svensson to fire home after the South Koreans lost the ball just outside their penalty area.
Jo made further saves, including a spectacular one with his foot against Pascal Gross, to keep Ulsan in the game.
Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was finally called into action as Ulsan became more adventurous after the break, most notably on his guard against Lee Jin Hyun on the hour.
Dortmund finally woke up again as Julian Duranville fired into the side netting in the 67th, and Jo saved from Yan Couto in the 83rd in what was Dortmund's final chance.
In Miami Gardens, Sundowns surprised Fluminense with a bright start as Tashreeq Matthews aimed right at goalkeeper Fabio in the eighth minute, and again from a tight angle a minute later.
The Brazilians grew into the game and should have led from Ignacio's header off a corner kick, Jhon Arias fired wide on another major chance in the 36th, and Ignacio missed the target again narrowly in the 41st.
Arias set up German Cano to fire against the near right post in the 67th on Fluminense's best chance while Sundowns failed to come close to the winner they would have needed to stay in the tournament.
Fluminense will face Inter Milan in Charlotte after the Champions League finalists made the most of a River Plate red card to score twice in the last 18 minutes to win 2-0.
Teenager Francesco Esposito scored his first goal for the club, minutes after Lucas Martinez Quarta had been dismissed.
Alessandro Bastoni sealed the win with a left-footed strike from outside the box in stoppage time but there was still time for Gonzalo
Montiel to follow Quarta in seeing red.
River Plate missed out on the last 16 after Monterrey grabbed second spot in the group with a dominant 4-0 victory over Urawa Red Diamonds.
Nelson Deossa opened the scoring in the 30th minute, quickly followed by goals from German Berterame and Jesus Corona.
Bererame added a fourth in the closing minutes as the Mexican side booked a clash with Dortmund.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Chelsea halted only by lightning, beating Benfica as CW quarterfinals await
Chelsea became the first English side to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following a 4-1 win after extra time against the 10-man Benfica in North Carolina. Reece James scored the opening goal of the game in the 64th minute on Saturday, with a spectacular free kick from a tight angle on the left wing. Angel Di Maria levelled the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time from the penalty spot after a soft handball decision against Malo Gusto. Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and K Dewsbury-Hall restored and sealed Chelsea's advantage in extra time. It was the least the Blues deserved after dominating the match from start to finish. The end was heavily delayed, however, when the players were removed from the field of play at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte by the referee due to a nearby lightning storm. The delay was nearly two hours in length, despite only four minutes remaining of the match when the players left the field. Chelsea's players were visibly annoyed by the decision to halt the game so close to the full-time whistle, and with victory in sight. Unusually high temperatures for the time of year contributed to the inclement conditions. Both the cause and the effect are a concern ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup also being staged by the United States next summer. It is the sixth time a Club World Cup match has been halted due to bad weather. Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes when lightning is seen or thunder heard. The Blues dominated the possession and the chances, the best of which in the first half fell to Marc Cucurella whose curling effort from just inside the box was headed off the line by by Benfica's Antonio Silva at the back post, with the keeper well beaten. Cole Palmer drew the finest save from Benfica's Ukrainian keeper, Anatoliy Trubin, when he was slipped into the box and powered a shot at the near post. Trubin was left red-faced by the moment of magic from James to win the match as the wide player drilled his effort in at the near post, with the keeper seemingly more concerned about a potential cross. Benfica's leveller – after the lightning delay – came after Gusto left his arms flailing in the air and, although soft, the Video Assistant Referee had little choice but to call the referee to review the decision. Di Maria coolly slotted home the resulting kick, despite the stormy conditions that surrounded the stadium. The comeback from Benfica, after the heavy delay to the match, was merely a further annoyance to Chelsea, whose job was made all the easier by a second yellow shown to Gianluca Prestianni. The Benfica forward was booked during the celebrations for his side's equaliser and was then shown a second yellow for a late tackle after only two minutes of extra time. Palmeiras first to book CWC quarterfinal spot Paulinho worked his way between a pair of defenders and rolled a shot into the back of the net in extra time earlier on Saturday to put Palmeiras into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Brazilian league rival Botafogo. Paulinho, who has made one appearance for Brazil's national team, dribbled through the defence with an inside cut from the right wing in the 100th minute. He then sent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of John's net. Botafogo created multiple chances for an equalizer in the final minutes but could not get a goal. The match at Lincoln Financial Field was full of attacking play, with a combined 35 shot attempts. Palmeiras, however, ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gomez was given a red card. Gomez received a second yellow card in the 116th minute after tackling Igor Jesus in midfield to prevent Botafogo from starting a counterattack. The 33,657 fans in attendance helped set the tone for the match with incessant cheering, bringing the flavour of a South American game to the United States. 'Coach has been saying this since the start of the season that we have a dream and dreaming costs nothing,' Palmeiras defender Bruno Fuchs said after. 'We follow that dream, one game after another. Always thinking about the present, about the next game… We're very happy, we're pleased to have qualified, and as I said, we have to keep dreaming.'
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Fernandez ‘will be even better' next season insists Chelsea boss Maresca
PA Media/dpa London Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expects Enzo Fernandez to get even better as he prepares for a reunion with his former club Benfica. The Argentina midfielder, signed from the Portuguese giants for a then British record £106.8million two years ago, took time to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. But he excelled in the second half of the 2024-25 season, finishing the campaign with eight goals, and has continued to shine at the Club World Cup. The 24-year-old scored in the opening win over Los Angeles FC and created two goals in as many minutes as the Blues beat Esperance Tunis 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday. Their reward is a last-16 clash with Benfica in Charlotte on Saturday. Maresca told reporters at his pre-match press conference: 'I'm very pleased with Enzo, especially because, first of all, he's a nice boy. He's polite, he's a good boy. 'Then he's worked very well in all aspects inside the pitch, outside the pitch. Our struggle at the beginning was (for him) to understand the way we want to play. 'But he is doing fantastic in terms of numbers, goal assists. This is what we want from our attacking players. 'I've said many times that I prefer to have the attacking players score 10-12 goal each, rather than just a striker with 40 goals. 'So his contribution this season has been top and I am sure next season will be even better.' Despite that, Fernandez could face competition for his place after Maresca suggested he sees Brazilian Andrey Santos more as an attacking player than a defensive one. The highly-rated 21-year-old has rejoined the club this summer after a successful loan spell at Strasbourg and made his debut as a second-half substitute against Esperance. Maresca said: 'His season has been very good but I think you need time to adapt. 'In terms of position, I see Andrey in this moment in more like Enzo's position than Romeo's (Lavia) position. 'The Premier League demands (players) to be physically strong. In this moment, I see Andrey more of an attacking player than defensive in the field.' Maresca added that he hopes 19-year-old defender Josh Acheampong will stay with the club despite being linked with Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund. He said: 'My idea or my plan with Josh is quite clear. I think he potentially can be a top defender for this club. I feel the best plan for Josh is to be with us.' Maresca would also like England international Trevoh Chalobah to stay, but offered no guarantees. He said: 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them but when the transfer window is open, unfortunately, anything can happen - not only for Trevoh, for (all) the 25 players of the squad.' Maresca expects a tight contest against Benfica. He said: 'It's going to be a balanced game, a tough game. In this kind of game the small details are very important.'
Qatar Tribune
5 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
The real competition starts now: Enrique prepared for KO phase
PA Media/dpa London Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique feels the real tests at the Club World Cup will now kick in as the European champions prepare to face Lionel Messi's Inter Miami for a place in the quarter-finals. After opening the tournament with a 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid, Enrique's side slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat against Botafogo. PSG, though, made sure there would be no early flight back to France with a 2-0 victory over Seattle Sounders to go through as Group B winners on goal difference. Inter Miami had also looked set to top their group - and go into the other half of the draw - before Palmeiras fought back with two late goals to draw 2-2 at Hard Rock Stadium, handing Messi a reunion with his former club. Enrique knows there are now no more second chances if PSG want to make an impact in the knockout stage. 'We plan to go as far as possible and I believe the players are ready,' Enrique said after the win over Seattle. 'The real competition starts now and it will be very tough. After each match, we have to see if we qualify or not, so we are motivated.' PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma maintains the players are fully focused on adding another trophy to their season haul. 'I hope we keep winning more matches and that we will reach the final together, all united,' the Italian said. 'It is very important for us and the club to go all the way.' Messi left Paris in the summer of 2023 to start a fresh challenge in Major League Soccer. While the Argentina World Cup winner, who turned 38 earlier this week, has little left to prove, Inter Miami manager Javier Mascherano hopes Messi might just have a bit of extra motivation when he faces his former employers in Atlanta on Sunday. 'It is clear that for us it is better if he plays angry, because he is one of those players who, when he has something on his mind, gives an extra effort,' Mascherano told ESPN SportsCenter. 'But I think that is already in the past. It is a different story now and since the game is here in the United States, I don't think the atmosphere will be the same. 'What we will try to do is play a great game because to have any chance we need to have a perfect match. One mistake and PSG will punish us, but we will go for it.'
