Sundowns edge Ulsan in front of empty stands at Club World Cup

The South African side went top of Group F in front of a crowd given as 3,412 after Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense drew 0-0 earlier.
A weather warning pushed back kick-off by just over an hour for one of the less enticing group clashes in the expanded FIFA tournament, which has so far not succeeded in filling grounds for every match.
However, those who were in attendance were party to an engaging battle.
Portuguese coach Miguel Cardoso's Mamelodi have won the South African top flight for eight consecutive seasons but finished as runners-up in the CAF Champions League final earlier in June.
They claimed victory through Iqraam Rayners' first-half goal.
"I think the first half was very beautiful, a lot of control... we didn't get the second goal and the pressure comes," said Cardoso.
"But I think my players made a wonderful job, we are very proud, (it was) the first victory of an African team in the tournament."
Cardoso handed Themba Zwane his first start since September after injury, against Ulsan, who qualified through AFC confederation rankings.
Nicknamed "The Brazilians" because of their bright yellow shirts, akin to those of the five-time World Cup winners, Sundowns players showed some flair on the ball in the opening stages.
However it was Ulsan who should have taken the lead, when their Brazilian striker Erick Farias fired a fine chance just over the angle of post and bar.
Mamelodi thought they had taken the lead after the half-hour mark when Rayners bundled home from a corner, but the ball went in off his arm and it was disallowed.
However the South Africa international was not to be denied and he stroked his team in front after Lucas Ribeiro set him up.
Rayners had another goal disallowed for offside before the break as he picked away at the Ulsan defence.
Teboho Mokoena almost doubled Mamelodi's lead with a dipping free-kick but Jo Hyeon-woo tipped his effort to safety.
The South Koreans made inroads in the second half and forced Mamelodi back into their own territory in search of an equaliser.
Tashreeq Matthews broke loose on the counter for Mamelodi and drilled a good opportunity over the bar, but his team were still able to become the first African side to win a game at the tournament.
It was also their first victory in any version of the Club World Cup, after they lost both their matches in their only prior appearance, in 2016.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

France 24

6 hours ago

• France 24

Teams from 'south' have Club World Cup heat advantage: Dortmund's Kovac

South American teams have impressed at the tournament and are unbeaten to this point, while Dortmund's South African opponents on Saturday, Mamelodi Sundowns, beat Ulsan HD in their first Group F match. Temperatures are expected to rise up to 32 degrees Celsius during the game at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, kicking off at 12:00 pm local time. Kovac's uninspired Dortmund were held to a 0-0 draw by Brazilian side Fluminense in their opening match on Tuesday. "At the moment in this tournament you see that the clubs from the south, I think they have a big advantage because of the conditions, of the heat," Croatian coach Kovac told reporters. "We're respecting every team and we know this is a very good team, from Africa, from South Africa." Brazilian side Botafogo stunned Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, while Chelsea lost against another Brazilian team in Flamengo. Some players and coaches have complained about the heat and humidity they have been forced to play in at FIFA's expanded competition, as well as fans who have also suffered. "For the spectators in the stadium it is incredibly hot, (so) now you can imagine how difficult it is for the players," continued Kovac. "(It's) 32 degrees when you're in the shade, and you're not even in the sun. So when you play inside the stadium you can assume it is 3, 4 or 5 degrees even hotter. "These are not excuses, it's just an explanation... this is very difficult, especially for the Europeans. The players from the south, for them it's easier because they are used to these temperatures." Kovac said his team would try to keep the ball away from Mamelodi because of the sweltering conditions in Ohio. "We need to prevent them from possessing the ball, we all know that it is going to be very warm, extremely hot tomorrow," said the coach. "We will play at noon tomorrow and we will play under the sunlight, we need to make sure we have the ball at all times. "If you have to run after the ball, it will mean a lot of effort." Kovac would not reveal if Jobe Bellingham, brother of Real Madrid star Jude, would be handed his first start, but said it was an option. "Don't forget to bring sunscreen, hat, and enough water to drink," Kovac warned reporters before departing. "Everyone on the bench will be under the sun for the entire time." Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso was hopeful of springing a surprise against Dortmund. "Upsets can happen when the mental conviction of the team is strong and their emotional connection is so strong that magic can happen," he told reporters.

France 24

9 hours ago

• France 24

Benfica knock out Auckland in Club World Cup romp

With the Portuguese side leading by a goal at half-time the match was suspended because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later. Auckland of New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation representatives at the tournament, were thrashed 10-0 by Bayern Munich in their Group C opener and this defeat means they are eliminated. Despite their eventual collapse, Auckland battled hard in the first half and almost made it to the break unscathed. Auckland goalkeeper Nathan Garrow made several good saves to keep Benfica at bay and the Portuguese side grew frustrated. Benfica took the lead deep into first half stoppage time when Gianluca Prestianni was clumsily felled in the area by Haris Zeb. Di Maria, who converted a spot-kick in the opening 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors, sent Garrow the wrong way. At half-time the match became the fourth in the last four days at the tournament to be impacted by a suspension for adverse conditions, with a storm arriving at the Inter&CO Stadium. When play eventually resumed, Benfica came back out strongly. Vangelis Pavlidis bundled his way through and smashed home to double Bruno Lage's team's lead in the 53rd minute, with Renato Sanches netting the third 10 minutes later from outside the box with a deflected effort. Luxembourg midfielder Leandro Barreiro bagged a brace to expand Benfica's lead, tucking home at the back post from Pavlidis' cross for the fourth before netting from close range. Nikko Boxall brought down Di Maria in stoppage time and the Argentine World Cup winner beat Garrow from the spot again to wrap up Benfica's emphatic triumph. Later Friday German giants Bayern Munich take on Argentine outfit Boca Juniors in the other Group C match.

France 24

a day ago

• France 24

Messi's 'winning spirit' surprising: Inter Miami's Mascherano

Veteran playmaker Messi curled home a fine free-kick in a man-of-the-match performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the winning goal in Miami's 2-1 Group A victory over their Portuguese opponents. Mascherano said his Argentine compatriot's competitive spirit at 37 was more surprising to him than the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's quality. "Beyond his goal... he's a player who shows us how to compete, his hunger, his desire to continue competing at whatever level it is," Mascherano told reporters. "In a footballing sense, what else is there to say? He's the best player that has played this sport in its history, but what is surprising is his will to win. "Today, even in the last minutes, tired, with a knock, he kept helping the team in any way he could, in attack, in defence, to get the result... "We know having him gives us an advantage, but above all, through his contagious spirit, the winning spirit that he has." Many expected Porto to beat Inter Miami but the American side recorded a first ever victory in a competitive match for an MLS team against European opposition and the first shock at the Club World Cup. "I think that we understood that in football there are obviously hierarchies, and we were facing against a team at a high level, with international players," said Mascherano. "But we were convinced that if we did what we had to do, if we had a plan, if we supported each other, if we were together, but above all, if we dared to play, we could compete." Samu Aghehowa netted a first-half penalty for Porto but Telasco Segovia and Messi's strikes after the break earned Inter Miami victory which puts them level on four points with Palmeiras at the top of the group. "What I told them (at half-time) was... to raise their spirits, because we had clearly showed we could compete, and that we had reached a moment where I didn't care about the result," added Mascherano.