Dortmund through to the last 16

SOLITARY first-half goal by Daniel Svensson gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win against Ulsan HD on Wednesday as the Germans secured a place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.

Dortmund’s second straight victory by a one-goal margin, following their 4-3 defeat of Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, was watched by only just over 8 000 spectators in Cincinnati, among them US Vice President JD Vance and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. It means Dortmund qualify for the last 16 as winners of Group F, while Fluminense go through behind them in second after holding off Sundowns in a goalless stalemate played at the same time in Miami.

“We can be satisfied. I think our performance was better than in the first two matches,” said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac. He has spoken regularly at the tournament about the difficulties posed by the searing June heat in the United States, and this was another game played in sweltering mid-afternoon conditions. “We keep saying the same thing. What the boys are doing is incredible. Thirty-six degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit) and 43 degrees in the stadium. This is incredible,” Kovac said.

“Even if you just stand around it can get very taxing but I think they are doing a great job. Now we have a day off and I hope the players recover for the next match.”

Kovac only made two changes to his starting line-up as Karim Adeyemi and Julian Ryerson came in, while Jobe Bellingham kept his place in the team.

The Bundesliga giants should have won by a greater margin on another hot day in Cincinnati, but Serhou Guirassy was denied by a good Jo Hyeon-woo save on 27 minutes. Bellingham then fizzed a volley just over from an Adeyemi cross moments later, but the crucial goal arrived on 36 minutes — soft defending by Ulsan saw the Koreans lose possession on the edge of their own box before Bellingham teed up Svensson and the Swede fired in low on his left foot. — AFP Sport.