FOOTBALL – A FIRST-HALF goal from Daniel Svensson was enough to secure Borussia Dortmund’s place in the Club World Cup round of 16, as they claimed a 1-0 victory over South Korea’s Ulsan HD yesterday.
The German side dominated from the outset at Cincinnati’s sun-drenched TQL Stadium, with the attacking trio of Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha and Karim Adeyemi putting the Ulsan goal under siege in the opening exchanges.
The breakthrough finally came in the 36th minute when Bellingham provided a precise pass to Svensson and the Swede scored with a straightforward finish.
Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-woo prevented Dortmund from increasing their lead in the first half, producing a fine save to stop Serhou Guirassy’s powerful header.
Pascal Gross thought he had doubled Dortmund’s advantage with a well-struck left-footed shot, but Jo was equal to the task once again.
Ulsan improved after the break, finding space as they looked for an equaliser with Lee Jin-hyun’s shot from a difficult angle on the left saved by Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel on the hour mark.
Despite continued pressure, Dortmund failed to find the net with Julien Duranville shooting wide and Jo stopping a Yan Couto attempt in the dying minutes.
Dortmund finished top of Group F with seven points, two points clear of Brazilian side Fluminense in second after they drew 0-0 with Mamelodi Sundowns. The South African champions finished third in the group with four points while Ulsan were bottom after losing all three of their games.
Dortmund will next face the runners-up from Group E, either River Plate, Inter Milan or Monterrey.
Earlier, goals from Tosin Adarabioyo, Liam Delap and Tyrique George saw Chelsea’s second-string side secure a place in the round of 16 with a 3-0 victory over Esperance de Tunis in their final Group D match.
Group winners Flamengo were held 1-1 by Los Angeles FC to finish on seven points, one ahead of Chelsea. Esperance finished third with three points while LA FC were bottom with one point.
Chelsea next face Group C winners Benfica on Saturday at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, while Flamengo take on Bayern Munich, Group C runners-up, in Miami on Sunday.
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