Groups E and F wrapped up group play Wednesday with a flurry of decisive results, as Borussia Dortmund, Fluminense, Monterrey and Inter Milan each punched their ticket to the knockout rounds.
Dormund topped Group F with a narrow win over Ulsan, and Monterrey exploded for three first-half goals to cruise past Urawa. Inter needed a second-half spark — and a River Plate red card — to break through and advance. And in the day’s lone draw, Fluminense did just enough to hold off Mamelodi and join Dortmund in the next round.
Wednesday’s Club World Cup results
Borussia Dortmund 1, Ulsan 0
Borussia Dortmund unleashed a relentless attacking display to secure a 1-0 win over Ulsan and clinch the top spot in Group F. The German side fired 28 shots — 11 of them on-target — and finally broke through in the 36th minute via Daniel Svensson’s well-placed strike. It proved enough to send Niko Kovač’s men into the knockout rounds. The South Korean club had already been eliminated prior to the match after losses to Mamelodi and Fluminense.
Mamelodi Sundowns 0, Fluminense 0
Mamelodi Sundowns and Fluminense battled to a scoreless stalemate in an uneventful affair to split the middle of the Group F table. The draw, however, was all the Brazilian side needed to secure second place behind Dortmund with five points. Sundowns outshot Fluminense 7-6, with three on-target to the Brazilian club’s zero.
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Urawa Red Diamonds 0, Monterrey 4
Monterrey surged into the knockout round in style, with a commanding 4-0 win over the Urawa Red Diamonds, scoring three goals in the first half. Nelson Deossa got things going in the 30th minute with a powerful strike from distance that was quickly followed by clinical finishes from German Berterame and Jesus Corona to cap off a ruthless attacking spell. Berterame added another in the closing minute. With the result, Monterrey bounced back from earlier tournament struggles and made their mark as a dangerous attacking side. Urawa couldn’t recover from the early onslaught and exit the tournament with just a single point.
River Plate 0, Inter Milan 2
Francesco Pio Esposito struck in the 72nd minute, and Alessandro Bastoni added another late to hand Inter Milan a hard-fought 2-0 win over River Plate and push the Italian side into the Round of 16. The breakthrough came after River’s Lucas Martinez Quarta was sent off early in the second half, leaving the Argentine side to finish with 10 men. Inter had struggled to break River’s defensive shape for much of the match but took advantage after the red card. River, needing a result to stay alive, couldn’t get the job done and bow out of the tournament.
Highlight of the day
Nelson Deossa’s long-distance strike to open the scoring for Los Rayados might just be the goal of the tournament so far.
Final Group E and Group F standings
|
Rank |
Group E |
Record (W-D-L) |
Goal Differential |
Points |
|
1 |
Inter |
(2-1-0) |
+3 |
7 |
|
2 |
Monterrey |
(1-2-0) |
+4 |
5 |
|
3 |
River Plate |
(1-1-1) |
+2 |
4 |
|
4 |
Urawa Red Diamonds |
(0-0-3) |
-5 |
0 |
|
Rank |
Group F |
Record (W-D-L) |
Goal Differential |
Points |
|
1 |
Dortmund |
(2-1-0) |
+2 |
7 |
|
2 |
Fluminense |
(1-2-0) |
+2 |
5 |
|
3 |
Mamelodi Sundowns |
(1-1-1) |
0 |
4 |
|
4 |
Ulsan HD |
(0-0-3) |
-4 |
0 |
Club World Cup schedule for Thursday, June 26
Group G: Juventus FC vs. Manchester City at Camping World Stadium in Orlando; 3 p.m. ET on TNT/truTV/DAZN
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Group G: Wydad AC vs. Al Ain FC at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.; 3 p.m. ET on DAZN
Group H: Al Hilal vs. CF Pachuca at GEODIS Park in Nashville; 9 p.m. ET on DAZN
Group H: FC Salzburg vs. Real Madrid C.F. at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; 9 p.m. ET on DAZN
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