Inter Milan, Dortmund claim first wins at Club World Cup
PHILADELPHIA: Inter Milan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds and knock the Japanese side out of the Club World Cup on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund held off Mamelodi Sundowns to win a seven-goal thriller.
Fluminense rallied in the second half to beat Ulsan 4-2 and knock out the South Korean side while Monterrey and River Plate ended goalless.
At Lumen Field in Seattle, Ryoma Watanabe got an early opening goal for Urawa Reds, who were backed by a noisy contingent of their supporters.
But captain Lautaro Martinez – who got Inter's equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Monterrey of Mexico in their opening game – repeated the trick to level matters with a clever overhead kick 12 minutes from time.
Valentin Carboni was then the unlikely hero as he grabbed the winner two minutes into injury time.
The 20-year-old Argentine had not played a competitive game since early October after suffering a serious knee injury while on loan at Marseille.
Carboni had not made an appearance for Inter in over two years, but he was on to hand to sidefoot home when the ball fell to him in the area.
"Our opponents play with their hearts and to counter that as a team we need to play with more pride, be humble and know how to suffer," Martinez told broadcaster DAZN.
The result left some Urawa fans in tears and Inter level on four points with River Plate with the two teams meeting next.
River Plate were let down by their finishing in a scrappy, foul-ridden encounter with Mexico's Monterrey, who sit on two points.
Esteban Andrada, Monterrey's Argentine keeper, made a series of saves while River's forwards were unable to put away the few chances that came their way.
Monterrey could still make it into the last 16 if they beat Urawa and River or Inter win their game.
Earlier Jobe Bellingham got his first goal for Dortmund as his new club overcame stifling heat in Cincinnati to beat Sundowns 4-3 and move to four points from two matches in Group F.
The South African champions had taken a surprise early lead through a fine solo goal from Lucas Ribeiro.
However, Sundowns goalkeeper Ronwen Williams handed Dortmund their equaliser on a plate, passing the ball straight to Felix Nmecha, who stroked home.
Serhou Guirassy gave Dortmund the lead with his 35th goal since the beginning of the season.
English midfielder Bellingham, who this month followed older brother Jude's footsteps in joining the German side from Sunderland, started for the first time for Dortmund and made it 3-1 just before the break.
Khuliso Mudau's own goal made it 4-1 before the hour mark, but Sundowns salvaged some pride by reducing the deficit through Iqraam Rayners and Lebo Mothiba.
"I'm sweating like I've just come out of a sauna," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac when asked about the conditions in a game which started at midday local time.
"It was tough going for both teams, but the opposition are used to it. We certainly didn't give our best performance, but that wasn't possible today."
Sundowns will still go into their final game in Group F with a chance of qualifying for the last 16.
"The boys made a wonderful performance... it was a hell of a match. I'm not happy but very proud," said their Portuguese coach, Miguel Cardoso.
South Korea's Ulsan gave Fluminense a real scare in their Group F clash at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, leading 2-1 until the 66th minute before the Brazilians ran out 4-2 winners, eliminating the K-League champions in the process.
Colombian striker Jhon Arias put Fluminense ahead with a 27th minute free-kick but goals from Lee Jin-hyun and Um Won-sang gave Ulsan the advantage at the break.
Nonata levelled for the Brazilians in the 66th minute before Juan Freytes put Fluminense ahead in the 83rd minute, slotting home after a scramble in the box.
Keno added a fourth in stoppage time to leave Fluminense on top of the group, level on 4 points with Borussia Dortmund ahead of their final game against South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns in Miami on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Winning Club World Cup would not make up for City's disappointing season, says Guardiola
LONDON: Winning the Club World Cup title again would not make up for the disappointing 2024-25 season that Manchester City have had, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of today's Group G clash with Emirati side Al-Ain in Atlanta. Guardiola's City fell short of winning the Premier League for the fifth time in a row, finishing third in the English top-flight. They also failed to reach the Champions League's round of 16, being eliminated by Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs. "I said many times, the season was not good," Guardiola told reporters on Saturday. "Winning this competition is not going to change that, but my mindset at the moment is not about winning the competition. We can extend our time here, being here longer." Guardiola, who has won the Club World Cup four times as manager, guided City to their first world title in 2023, before the tournament was revamped as a 32-team competition to be held once every four years. City, who beat Morocco's Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in their campaign opener, have a chance to qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Al-Ain, who suffered a 5-0 loss to Juventus in their first game.
Malay Mail
3 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Guardiola admits not even Club World Cup glory can save City's disappointing season
PHILADELPHIA, June 22 — Winning the Club World Cup title again would not make up for the disappointing 2024-25 season that Manchester City have had, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of today's Group G clash with Emirati side Al-Ain in Atlanta. Guardiola's City fell short of winning the Premier League for the fifth time in a row, finishing third in the English top-flight. They also failed to reach the Champions League's round of 16, being eliminated by Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs. 'I said many times, the season was not good,' Guardiola told reporters on Saturday. 'Winning this competition is not going to change that, but my mindset at the moment is not about winning the competition. We can extend our time here, being here longer.' Guardiola, who has won the Club World Cup four times as manager, guided City to their first world title in 2023, before the tournament was revamped as a 32-team competition to be held once every four years. City, who beat Morocco's Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in their campaign opener, have a chance to qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Al-Ain, who suffered a 5-0 loss to Juventus in their first game. 'Now we're here, I want to do the best. I want to enjoy the moment here because you're here one time every four years... And I want to arrive in the latter stages,' Guardiola added. — Reuters
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Minjee Lee grabs four-shot lead at 'brutal' Women's PGA Championship
LOS ANGELES: Australia's Minjee Lee defied difficult, windy conditions with a remarkable bogey-free three-under par 69 on Saturday to seize a four-stroke lead over Jeeno Thitikul at the Women's PGA Championship in Texas. Lee, chasing her third major title, fired three birdies in one of just three sub-par rounds at Fields Ranch East in Frisco, north of Dallas, where soaring temperatures and wind tested golfers for a third straight day. "I just try to stay patient out there," the 29-year-old said after building a six-under total of 210. "You can't get ahead of yourself, especially in these conditions." Trailing Jeeno by three to start the day, Lee grabbed her first birdie at the ninth, where she blasted out of a greenside bunker to four feet and made the putt. She finally took control at the par-five 14th, drilling a 19-foot birdie putt as Jeeno three-putted for a bogey that dropped her three strokes back. Lee added a birdie at the 15th, and remained bogey free with a par save at 18 – where her second shot raced through the green but she chipped to three feet. "I try to stay within myself and play the shot as best as I could," she said. "Just stayed patient, just take it as it comes." Lee, whose 10 LPGA victories include major titles at the 2021 Evian Championship and 2022 US Women's Open, said there would be plenty of work to do on Sunday despite her four-shot cushion. "It's just only getting harder and harder just with I think pressure of a major championship, and also just the course just demands so much from you," she said. World number two Jeeno's hopes of a first major title took an early hit with bogeys at the third and sixth. She rolled in a 12-foot birdie at the eighth, but dropped into a tie for the lead after back-to-back bogeys at 11 and 12. She bounced back from her bogey at 14 with a birdie at 15, but gave back a shot at the 16th, finishing with a four-over 76 for 214. Lee and Jeeno, both based in the Dallas area, were the only players under par heading into the final round. US veteran Lexi Thompson, playing a limited schedule this season, shook off a horrendous start to post a three-over par 75 to headline a trio sharing third place on one-over 217. Thompson opened with a triple-bogey and a bogey and added another bogey at the eighth before she made two birdies coming in. She was joined on one-over by South Korean Choi Hye-jin, who carded a 72, and Japan's Miyu Yamashita, who shot 73. World number one Nelly Korda had five birdies and five bogeys in her even par 72 to headline a group of four on 218. "It's brutal out there when it comes to the setup of the golf course, wind conditions, everything," Korda said. "I'm very happy with even par. "You're just happy to get 18 under your belt on a day like this," added the American, who said having substantial waits on several tees only added to the difficulty of the day. "You don't want to be spending 20 minutes and getting up to the next tee and then you're 15 minutes and getting up to the next tee and it's another 15 minutes," she said. "There is just, like, no momentum in it." Korda was tied with Ireland's Leona Maguire, Japan's Chisato Iwai, South Korean Lee So-mi and American Yealimi Noh – who had two eagles but also six bogeys in her 74. Australian Grace Kim had the low round of the day, firing six birdies in an impressive four-under par 68 that gave put her among a group of five players on three-over 219.--AFP
