Latest news with #TashreeqMatthews
Miami Herald
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Fluminense advances with draw vs. Mamelodi Sundowns
Fluminense made it a perfect four-for-four among Brazilian sides at the FIFA Club World Cup, clinching their place in the last 16 with a 0-0 draw against Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Fábio made three saves to keep a clean sheet and seal a second-place finish in Group F for Fluminense behind Borussia Dortmund, who earned a 1-0 win over Ulsan HD in a simultaneous match in Cincinnati, Ohio. But in truth, the Rio de Janeiro side looked comfortable for most of the final hour, knowing a point would be enough to seal a meeting Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina, against the Group E winner. That team will be decided later Wednesday, with Inter Milan, River Plate and CF Monterrey all in the running. Mamelodi Sundowns became the last of four African representatives in the competition eliminated, though Wydad AC still have a match left to play. They were held scoreless for the first time in the tournament after nearly coming back from three goals down in their 4-3 defeat to Dortmund on Saturday. Wednesday's match followed Fluminense's Brazilian colleagues Palmeiras, Botafogo and Flamengo all sealing their place in the last 16 earlier in the group stage. Meanwhile, Sundowns entered as the final hope for an African representative in the knockout phase, with Al Ahly, Esperance de Tunis and Wydad AC all eliminated. But Sundowns had the first quality chance when Tashreeq Matthews ran onto Lucas Ribeiro Costa's defense-splitting diagonal ball into the penalty area. Fabio sprung quickly from his line and ultimately smothered Matthews' eighth-minute effort. Fluminense grew into the game later in the half. Jhon Arias dragged an effort from the right side of the penalty wide of the left post in the 36th minute. Five minutes later, Nonato fired a half-volley wide of the same upright following a set piece. After the break, German Cano reached Arias' excellent dipping cross to the near post. But his 58th-minute volley struck the woodwork as Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams could only look on. Williams finished with no saves as none of Fluminense's shot attempts were on frame. --Field Level Media Field Level Media 2025 - All Rights Reserved
IOL News
2 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Tashreeq Matthews blamed by Mamelodi Sundowns fans for Club World Cup exit
BIG MISS Sundowns' South African forward Tashreeq Matthews reacts during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Group F football match against Brazil's Fluminense at the Hard Rock stadium in Miami on June 25, 2025. Picture: Chandan Khanna/AFP Though Mamelodi Sundowns have mostly been commended for their strong showing at the Club World Cup despite their exit as the group stages concluded, there are a number of fans who were left annoyed with one player in particular. That player is Sundowns midfielder Tashreeq Matthews, who missed a great chance to score in his side's final Group F encounter with Brazilian side Fluminense in the first half. Left one-on-one with Fluminense keeper Fabio, Matthews struck his shot straight at the shot-stopper. Though it was still early in the game, it would turn out to be the best chance for Sundowns to score. Had Matthews scored, Sundowns would have advanced to the next stage of the competition as the match ended goalless.
The South African
3 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Fans blame Tashreeq Matthews for Sundowns CWC early exit
Mamelodi Sundowns were eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) in the group stages following their 0-0 draw with Brazilian side Fluminense FC on Wednesday night. Masandawana needed a win to reach the round of 16 but failed to find the back of the net throughout the 90 minutes despite creating several chances. Tashreeq Matthews missed a golden opportunity to give his side the lead after a sublime pass from Lucas Ribeiro. The Cape Town-born midfielder fired straight at the Fluminense keeper to the much frustration of the Downs fans. Masandawana were hoping to reach the next round with a win, but unfortunately, they fired blanks. Having won 1-0 against Ulsan in their opening match, the Brazilians must have felt they needed just two draws to reach the round of 16. Their loss to Borussia Dortmund made their last group match a must-win match. 'Tashreeq Matthews is anti-Sundowns man, he has been missing sitters for them consistently,' tweeted @LifeofMelo. 'Tashreeque Matthews is simply not good enough and uyayidlisa iteam. So many chances WASTED!!! by him. I do not know how this incompetent coach started him again,' tweeted @Umlando5. Although many blamed Matthews for Sundowns' exit from the CWC, some felt the team went flat when the midfielder was subbed in the second half. @MSFC__ wrote: 'The funny part is that after Tashreeq Matthews went out, our attack died and we had zero shot on target afterwards.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
News24
6 days ago
- Sport
- News24
PSL is forgiving, Dortmund weren't: Cardoso takes brave approach, Ronwen owns THAT error
It was always going to be a challenge of epic proportions, and when the final whistle echoed at the end of an exhilarating Group F clash at the 2025 Club World Cup, Mamelodi Sundowns could hold their heads high, knowing they are not so far behind Europe's elite – despite falling 4-3 to German giants Borussia Dortmund. The TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, was the backdrop for this fixture, which saw the North American sunshine beaming. Conditions were quite the opposite of what was expected for a winter sport, as the heat exceeded 30° Celsius and humidity touched 70%. Dortmund had left their substitutes in the dressing room, but for Sundowns, it wasn't much different to what they are used to playing in Africa, where the season starts in spring and by the time winter hits, the season is done. Masandawana took an early lead, which should have been their second had Tashreeq Matthews buried his chance, with Lucas Ribeiro scoring a solo effort. But it was short-lived as Dortmund clawed back with an error from 'keeper Ronwen Williams. His misplaced pass found Felix Nmecha, who slotted the equaliser home with ease. The floodgates then opened, which could have been avoided, but mistakes proved costly, as Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham scored, followed by an unfortunate own goal from Khuliso Mudau. Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba then buried goals late in the match to make it an entertaining yet nervy ending for Dortmund. Speaking to reporters after the game, Cardoso admits to being proud of his troops, but they are ultimately not happy, simply because they know that at least two of the goals that came Dortmund's way should not have occurred. 'We made one season playing our style of football and didn't make one single mistake,' Cardoso began to express, who has only been at Sundowns since December last year, replacing Manqoba Mngqithi. 'Today, we made two [mistakes] on the build-up. Do you think I have any capacity to complain about my players when they gave me so much? For one mistake? 'Football is a game of mistakes. I have made many mistakes when I choose players. There are more than 15-20 players I can't play – so there are mistakes. So, I support these players highly, that's what I did at half-time. 'Most of my talk was to support the players, sitting by their side, saying let's do this together. It would be very easy to penalise a player like Teboho [Mokoena], but how can I penalise a player who has an intentionality to [do] well? The level of pressure is so much higher in games like this. 'The number of pressures they are submitted to is so high that mistakes can happen. So, I supported the boys – there's no other way in this club, with me, until the end. He added: 'How can I build trust that when there's a mistake, I don't give them trust? As much as you give the most, I give back… that's my approach.' The defeat leaves Sundowns in third place with three points, while Dortmund sit second on four points. Fluminense soared to the top of the group, ahead on goal difference, following their 4-2 win over bottom-placed Ulsan HD. 'Good lessons' Williams revealed that he had intended to pass the ball to Teboho Mokoena, but the midfielder quickly vacated his original position, allowing the ball to fall into the path of Nmecha. 'It's not nice to concede a goal like that but we're a team that takes risks and before I received the ball, I saw Tebza there, but he got a call from Marcelo to move away, so it was just one of those unfortunate situations, but we learn from it and we keep going,' Williams said as quoted by 'There's not really [a big gap in intensity and physicality], we showed that we can compete, yes, they are obviously physically bigger, but it's all about the mind, if your mentality is right, you can go out there and compete with the best, that's what we showed. 'We had very good chances in the first half, I am just so proud of the boys for the effort, the desire and the fight, the gap is not that big, we proved that once again.' Williams further admitted that in South Africa's Premier Soccer League, Sundowns are prone to playing high-risk football – a trait that was evident against Dortmund. However, he noted that while Masandawana often get away with costly errors in the domestic league or in Africa, that was not the case against the German giants on the day. 'Yes [it's disappointing], that was the talk for this week, at this level, if you make mistakes they punish you, which we learnt the hard way today – I think all of their goals are mistakes, errors from us, where at this level you get punished,' he said. 'Where we come from, we get away with it [in the PSL], so this is good lessons, we shouldn't be disappointed, we played our football, showed our identity, so big up to the boys, lot of lessons to learn and to grow from this.' Sundowns are back in action on Wednesday at 21:00 (SA time), where a victory against Fluminense will secure their passage to the Round of 16. A draw could complicate matters, possibly forcing them to take out their calculators. If Ulsan defeat Dortmund, the South Africans could still advance on goal difference.
United News of India
6 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Dortmund leads Group F after victory over Mamelodi Sundowns at Club World Cup
Cincinnati, June 22 (UNI) Borussia Dortmund survived a late scare to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in their FIFA Club World Cup Group F encounter at TQL Stadium. The South African side, entering the match as group leader after a narrow 1-0 win against Ulsan HD, started brightly. Former Dortmund player Tashreeq Matthews tested goalkeeper Gregor Kobel early on Saturday. Sundowns' pressure paid off in the 11th minute when Matthews' incisive through ball sent Lucas Ribeiro one-on-one and slotted past Kobel into the bottom right corner. Dortmund leveled the score just five minutes later as Felix Nmecha capitalized on a disastrous error by Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, intercepting his wayward pass and netting home the equalizer. Dortmund then seized control as Serhou Guirassy powered in a close-range header from Julian Brandt's pinpoint cross in the 34th minute to put his side ahead. Jobe Bellingham, the summer signing from EFL Championship side Sunderland, marked his first goal for the club just before halftime, controlling a rebound with his chest before volleying home. Khuliso Mudau's own goal extended the Dortmund lead to 4-1 in the 59th minute, before Mamelodi Sundowns pulled one back just four minutes later with a goal from Iqraam Rayners, sparking hope for the South Africans. Substitute Lebo Mothiba then set up a tense finale, making it 4-3 with a well-taken goal. Despite sustained late pressure from Sundowns, Dortmund held firm to claim the vital three points. In New York, Fluminense clinched a 4-2 comeback win against Ulsan HD. The win lifts Fluminense to first place in Group F with four points from one win and one draw, leading Dortmund on goal difference. Mamelodi Sundowns slips to third with three points, while Ulsan HD fails to survive the group with two losses. Dortmund will host Ulsan HD in their final group fixture on Wednesday, while Mamelodi Sundowns faces Fluminense the same day. UNI/XINHUA BM
