Dortmund to Clash with Monterrey in Round of 16

CINCINNATI: A first-half goal from Daniel Svensson proved the difference as Borussia Dortmund narrowly defeated South Korea’s Ulsan Hyundai 1–0 at TQL Stadium on Wednesday. This victory propelled them into the last 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup.

The German team exerted control early in the match, held in sunny conditions, with Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha, and Karim Adeyemi consistently challenging the Ulsan defense.

The crucial moment arrived in the 36th minute when Svensson scored, rewarding Dortmund’s early dominance with a well-deserved lead.

Ulsan’s goalkeeper, Jo Hyeon-woo, played a vital role in preventing a larger deficit, making important saves to deny attempts by Serhou Guirassy and Pascal Gross.

Ulsan showed improvement after halftime, with Lee Jin-hyun nearly leveling the score from a difficult angle, but Dortmund’s goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, was alert to maintain the shutout.

Despite creating several opportunities in the second period, including a late chance for Yan Couto, Dortmund could not extend their advantage but successfully secured the win.

Dortmund finished atop Group F with seven points, ahead of Brazil’s Fluminense, who drew 0–0 with Mamelodi Sundowns. The South African team finished third with four points, while Ulsan were eliminated from the competition without any points.

Fluminense’s performance was sufficient to make them the fourth Brazilian team to advance to the knockout stage.

Their scoreless tie at Hard Rock Stadium guaranteed them second place in the group and set up a round-of-16 match in Charlotte on Monday against the Group E winner, to be determined later that day. Dortmund is now set to compete against Monterrey in the round of 16.