Sundowns edge Ulsan in front of empty stands at Club World Cup
ORLANDO, UNITED STATES: Mamelodi Sundowns got off to a winning start at the Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory over South Korean side Ulsan HD on Tuesday in a match delayed by a weather warning and played before largely empty stands.
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Ulsan vs Mamelodi Sundowns Club World Cup clash delayed by weather
THE kick-off in the Club World Cup clash between South Korea's Ulsan HD and South African team Mamelodi Sundowns was delayed because of a weather warning on Tuesday. The Group F game was due to start at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando at 6:00 pm local time (2200 GMT), and both teams had walked out onto the field before being told to retreat by the referee. Stands at the 25,500-seater stadium were virtually empty just before the scheduled kick-off time, with clouds in the sky above the stadium but no storm having begun. Tournament broadcasters DAZN reported the game was instead likely to begin at 7:00 pm local time.
New Straits Times
3 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Pan Gon's Ulsan fall in Club World Cup opener
ORLANDO (United States): Kim Pan Gon, who quit his post as Malaysia's national coach abruptly last year, saw his new team, Ulsan HD, lose 1-0 to African side Mamelodi Sundowns in a Club World Cup Group F opener on Tuesday. Last year, Pan Gon told the FA of Malaysia (FAM) that he had to break his contract (with 17 months remaining) and return to South Korea due to "family issues". FAM granted Pan Gon an early release on compassionate grounds, but was shocked to know later that he had joined Korean club, Ulsan, as their coach. Meanwhile Reuters reported that Ulsan and Sundowns had targeted their opening match as their best chance to get a win in the Club World Cup with Brazil's Fluminense and Germany's Borussia Dortmund expected to advance from Group F. African and Asian teams are not expected to make much of an impact at the 32-team Club World Cup, so points are like gold dust for the likes of Ulsan and Sundowns. Pan Gon said: "We had targeted this game to win because we understand the other two teams in the group, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund, are favourites. "Our players gave their best efforts in this game and we're very proud of their efforts. Now we need to recover quickly for the next game." Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso said: "We prepared tactically and strategically very well. It was important that we could keep the pace and not stray from the game plan in the second half."
Malaysian Reserve
4 hours ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Inzaghi defends manner of exit from Inter to Saudi club
FORMER Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi has shrugged off criticism over the manner of his move to Saudi club Al-Hilal. Inzaghi takes charge of his new club for the first time on Wednesday when they face Real Madrid in the Club World Cup in Miami. Al-Hilal's chief executive officer Esteve Calzada told the BBC on Wednesday that the move had been decided before Inter's 5-0 Champions League final loss to Paris Saint-Germain. 'It might look like it's something that came quickly, but it's the result of hard work particularly from our chairman, who was always very clear he would be our number one option,' said Calzada. 'He was playing a massive match and asked (us) to keep things aside until after the final… it was decided but not signed before the final, just because out of respect he asked us to wait, which is certainly fair enough.' The Champions League final was held on May 31 and Inzaghi was announced as the Al-Hilal coach four days later. Calzada's comments prompted Italian media reports speculating whether the coach's impending move had influenced Inter's players and their performance. At the pre-match press conference, Inzaghi was asked about those reports. 'Today, as has often been the case during my four years at Inter, I heard and listened to everything,' said the coach. 'If this (criticism) was the price I had to pay for my four years at Inter, I am happy to pay it, but it is nothing compared to the good I have received from everyone. I am talking about Inter, the fans, the management, the players and Inter,' he added. 'I know I will miss it, I will miss everything, even this. Even the most unfair accusations that have been made over the past four years. 'But I have been really happy, I have given my all and worked closely with the club and the management. In short, I think they too, for the good of Inter, were convinced that the right thing to do was for our paths to separate, with a lot of pain on everyone's part,' he said. Inzaghi defended his choice of moving from a top European club to the emerging Saudi Pro League. 'I accepted the challenge and stepped out of my comfort zone after several years at Inter. I want to change my way of thinking, my style of play, and try new things. There was no other team I wanted to coach. So I chose Al Hilal,' he added. — AFP
