Saturday once again delivered goals, drama and a bit of chaos at the Club World Cup.
Borussia Dortmund roared to life in a seven-goal thriller against Mamelodi Sundowns, Fluminense staged a stirring second-half comeback to keep its campaign alive, and Inter Milan flirted with disaster before pulling off a late escape. Even the day’s lone scoreless draw — River Plate vs. Monterrey — carried serious stakes, leaving Group E wide open heading into the final matchday.
Saturday’s FIFA Club World Cup results
Borussia Dortmund 4, Mamelodi Sundowns 3
Following a 0-0 draw with Fluminense on Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund found its scoring touch against South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns. The Sundowns opened the scoring with a goal by Lucas Ribeiro Costa at the 11th minute. However, Dortmund answered with the next three scores from Felix Nmecha, Serhou Guirassy and Jobe Bellingham. Mamelodi made matters worse by scoring an own goal with Khuliso Mudau deflecting a cross kick into the net. But the Sundowns made the match close with a goal from Iqraam Rayners in the 62nd minute, followed by Lebo Mothiba finding the net at the 90-minute mark. Had more time remained (and Mudau not had a bad ricochet), the Sundowns’ late surge might have been enough to secure a point with a draw.
Inter captain Lautaro Martinez celebrates after leveling versus Urawa, keeping the Italian side’s Club World Cup hopes alive. (Justin Setterfield – FIFA via Getty Images)
(Justin Setterfield – FIFA via Getty Images)
Inter Milan 2, Urawa Red Diamonds 1
Inter Milan, the Champions League finalists, came into the tournament with something to prove after a 5-0 dismantling by PSG in May for the European crown. Instead, they dropped points to Liga MX’s Monterrey on Tuesday in a 1-1 draw despite being heavy favorites. Things went from bad to very bad Saturday for the 20-time Italian champions when Urawa’s Takuro Kaneko weaved past multiple Inter defenders with some fancy footwork and fired the ball into the box where Ryoma Watanabe was locked and loaded. Watanabe unleashed a fierce strike past Yann Sommer to give the Red Diamonds the lead just 11 minutes into the match. Inter’s very bad times would not last long, however, as team captain Lautaro Martínez would magnificently level the score in the 78th minute before his fellow Argentine Valentin Carboni scored the go-ahead goal in stoppage time.
With the loss, the Red Diamonds are eliminated, but first must face Monterrey on Wednesday. Inter gets River Plate in its last group stage game Wednesday.
Fluminense 4, Ulsan HD 2
Ulsan HD pushed Fluminense to the brink in an entertaining match, but ultimately fell 4-2 on Saturday in New Jersey. Fluminense’s Jhon Arias opened the scoring in the 27th minute. Ten minutes later, The Korean champions, looking to rebound from an opening loss to Mamelodi Sundowns, stunned the Brazilian side with two first-half goals: a sharp equalizer from Jin-Hyun Lee and a skillful header by Um Won-sang to take a lead into the break.
Fluminense, held scoreless in its opener against Borussia Dortmund, finally found its attacking rhythm after halftime. Nonato’s thunderous strike leveled the score in the 66th minute before Juan Freytes and Keno sealed the comeback, keeping Fluminense’s knockout hopes alive and leaving Ulsan on the brink of elimination.
River Plate 0, Monterrey 0
Monterrey held firm in a tense, tactical scoreless draw against River Plate at a vibrant Rose Bowl, frustrating the dynamic Argentine side and its many fans in attendance while keeping their own hopes of advancing alive. River, fresh off a 3-1 win over Urawa and needing a win to book their spot in the Round of 16, were once again sparked by 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono, but could find a way past a disciplined Rayados backline led by the ever-composed Sergio Ramos. The Mexican side, which showed plenty of quality in a 1-1 opener against Inter Milan, leaned on their defensive shape and experience to keep River at bay. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. Group E now hangs in the balance heading into the final matchday of the group stage.
Highlight of the day
Current Group E and Group F standings
|
Rank |
Group E |
Record (W-D-L) |
Goal Differential |
Points |
|
1 |
River Plate |
(1-1-0) |
+2 |
4 |
|
2 |
Inter Milan |
(1-1-0) |
+1 |
4 |
|
3 |
Monterrey |
(0-2-0) |
0 |
2 |
|
4 |
Urawa |
(0-0-2) |
-3 |
0 |
|
Rank |
Group F |
Record (W-D-L) |
Goal Differential |
Points |
|
1 |
Fluminense |
(1-1-0) |
+2 |
4 |
|
2 |
Borussia Dortmund |
(1-1-0) |
+1 |
4 |
|
3 |
Mamelodi Sundowns |
(1-0-1) |
0 |
3 |
|
4 |
Ulsan HD |
(0-0-2) |
-3 |
0 |
Club World Cup schedule for Sunday, June 22
Group G: Juventus FC vs. Wydad AC at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; 12 p.m. ET on DAZN
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Group H: Real Madrid CF vs. CF Pachuca at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte; 3 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/DAZN
Group H: FC Salzburg vs. Al Hilal at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.; 6 p.m. ET on DAZN
Group G: Manchester City vs. Al Ain FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; 9 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/DAZN
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