Soccer-Midday heat of Cincinnati a perplexing problem for Borussia Dortmund
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group F - Fluminense v Borussia Dortmund - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. - June 17, 2025 Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac reacts REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
CINCINNATI, Ohio (Reuters) -Borussia Dortmund plan to rotate their team to overcome the hot conditions they expect on Saturday at the Club World Cup, with coach Niko Kovac fearing the impact of the midday sun in Cincinnati.
The Bundesliga outfit take on Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa in their second Group F game at the TQL Stadium, kicking off at 12pm local time, and Kovacs said he would be picking a team best suited to handle the heat.
Kovac said he expected the game to be played in 32-degree Celsius (90°F) heat, 'but when you're in the stadium it is three to five degrees hotter'.
'I need players who can handle the heat, players who can run for long periods and show less fatigue because we want to keep the quality of play high,' he told a Friday press conference.
'We'll have to work hard to make sure we have the ball at all times because it is not feasible to be chasing after the ball and to run a lot in this heat.'
Dortmund drew their first game of the competition against Fluminense in New York on Tuesday, also kicking off at midday and looking lethargic in a goalless draw.
'In this tournament you see the clubs from the south have an advantage because they know the hot conditions better,' Kovac said.
The coach said victory was imperative for his side.
'We want to win our next two games but tomorrow we are up against a good team," he said. "They are a side who want to play football and that makes it a very interesting proposition.'
Sundowns, who were runners-up in the African Champions League earlier this month, won their opening game against Ulsan HD of South Korea on Tuesday in Orlando.
(Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Soccer-Boca Juniors fans deliver the loudest, most passionate support at Club World Cup
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group C - Bayern Munich v Boca Juniors - Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. - June 20, 2025 Boca Juniors fans REUTERS/Hannah Mckay MIAMI (Reuters) -In just two games, Boca Juniors have taken Hard Rock Stadium by storm, turning it into their own 'Bombonera' outpost. They filled it with a passion unmatched at this Club World Cup, leaving opposing fans, pundits, and even Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany visibly impressed. The Boca fans made for most of the 55,574 spectators in their team's game against Benfica and were also the immense majority of the 63,587 supporters in Friday's 2-1 defeat against Bayern Munich. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT Soccer's governing body FIFA has been heavily criticised for an alleged lack of interest for the 32-team tournament in the United States. While some matches are played in front of half empty stadiums, the presence of South American fans has been crucial for the Club World Cup. KEY QUOTES: Boca Juniors coach Miguel Angel Russo: "The fans were amazing — but there's nothing new about that. Of course it hurts to lose, but our people are just incredible. Boca is about working together: team and fans. That's who we are. "Argentine football is special. It's a unique history. People here are passionate, intense. Our supporters have backed this team through everything, and we have to be up to the challenge." Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany: "I've had a long career and experienced a lot. There are times I want to be a player and tonight was one of those times. The crowd was hostile in the best possible way, and the game full of aggression in a good way. That's what I love about football. "We played against a big club with a fanbase that most fans would pay to watch." KEY NUMBERS: 60,626 - The average attendance at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium in four Club World Cup matches. The best attendance was on Friday with 63,587 supporters in the stands. (Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
Malaysian Reserve
an hour ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Flamengo floor Chelsea at Club World Cup, Bayern face Boca
FLAMENGO produced a brilliant second-half fightback to beat Chelsea 3-1 at the Club World Cup on Friday as the Brazilian giants became the first team to qualify for the last 16 at FIFA's lucrative new tournament. Pedro Neto had given Chelsea the lead in the first half but Flamengo, roared on by their frenzied supporters who made up the majority of the 54,019 crowd in Philadelphia, did not deserve to be behind and battled back in the second half. Bruno Henrique came off the bench in the 56th minute and equalised just after the hour mark before setting up former Real Madrid, Manchester City and Juventus defender Danilo to make it 2-1. Chelsea were stunned, and their hopes of pulling level again were effectively destroyed when substitute Nicolas Jackson was sent off in the 68th minute for a dangerous tackle on Ayrton Lucas. Wallace Yan, also on as a substitute, then sealed the victory for the Rio de Janeiro club, the Brazilian league leaders, when he made it 3-1 late on. 'It was a special day for me and our club,' said Flamengo coach Filipe Luis, a former Chelsea player. 'We knew we would have chances against Chelsea, because we have one way to play and they know how to follow that path. 'I am really happy with the game, but it is just one win. Now we have to think about the next game and try to go through this group phase, because it is not easy.' Flamengo have won both matches in Group D and their place in the knockout phase was confirmed later when Esperance of Tunisia defeated Los Angeles FC 1-0 in Nashville. Youcef Belaili scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute in front of a sparse crowd that included Nicole Kidman. LAFC were last-minute qualifiers after beating Club America of Mexico in a play-off following the decision to ban Leon for violating rules on multi-club ownership. The Major League Soccer side cannot now progress any further. Chelsea and Esperance now each have three points from two games and their meeting in Philadelphia next Tuesday will decide which team joins Flamengo in advancing. 'We expected a tough game because Flamengo is a very good team, with good players and a good manager,' said Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca. 'They play very well, and in Brazil they are top of the league, unbeaten for many games, so it was not a surprise for us.' Flamengo's win followed Botafogo's stunning success against European champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, stretching the unbeaten record for South American clubs at the competition to nine matches. A tough test lies in wait for another South American representative, however, as Boca Juniors take on Bayern Munich in Miami in Group C. Bayern, who hammered New Zealand's Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game, can clinch qualification for the last 16 by beating the Argentinians. Earlier, Benfica crushed Auckland 6-0 in Orlando to boost their own hopes of progressing and eliminate the one Oceania representative at the tournament. Angel Di Maria's two penalties bookended the victory for the Portuguese side, with Leandro Barreiro scoring a brace while Vangelis Pavlidis and Renato Sanches got their other goals. The game was the fourth in the past four days to be hit by a weather delay. With Benfica leading by a goal at half-time, the match was interrupted because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later. 'This is the longest game of my career, a special thanks to our fans, who have been here for five hours supporting the team,' said Benfica coach Bruno Lage. 'We played as well as we could. The temperature made it very difficult.' — AFP
Malaysian Reserve
an hour ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Bayern overcome battling Boca to reach Club World Cup last 16
BAYERN MUNICH booked their place in the knockout stages of the Club World Cup with Harry Kane and Michael Olise on target in a hard-fought 2-1 win over Argentina's Boca Juniors on Friday. After defeats for Paris Saint-Germain against Botofogo and Chelsea against Flamengo, Bayern bucked the trend of European teams falling to South American opponents with an accomplished victory in the Group C encounter. Hard Rock Stadium was packed to the rafters with Boca fans who once again brought incredible passion and noise to the NFL stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins. But Bayern soon set about quieting the 63,587 crowd with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka taking charge of central midfield and the movement of Bayern's frontline stretching the Boca defence. The German side thought they had the lead in the eighth minute when a corner from Olise passed untouched through a crowded six-yard box and into the net. But the referee was called to the monitor for a VAR review where he was able to clearly see that Serge Gnabry had blocked and tangled with Boca goalkeeper Agustin Marchesin, and the effort was ruled out. Ten minutes later, however, Bayern had the breakthrough when Boca were unable to fully clear a ball into the box and Kane pounced with a clinical left-foot shot into the bottom corner. Bayern smelled blood and pushed for a second – Olise found Gnabry on the right and his low ball across the face of the goal was just inches away from the sliding Kingsley Coman. Boca desperately needed to find a foothold in the game and they came close when a thundering free-kick from Kevin Zenon was punched out by Manuel Neuer. Moments later Zenon tested the Bayern keeper again with another fierce strike which Neuer punched away with his right hand. But for all the signs of life from Boca, Bayern looked in comfortable charge of the game and Kane was close to making it 2-0 with a dangerous free-kick which dipped just too late and flashed over the bar. Bayern continued to look for a second after the interval and the busy Olise should have done better from close range but couldn't connect properly with an off-balance shot. Boca never gave up harrying and grafting though and their reward came in the 66th minute. On a turnover in midfield, Alan Velasco found Miguel Merentiel down the right and he powered goalwards, skipping around Josip Stanisic before producing a brilliant, confident finish past the helpless Neuer. It looked like South American clubs' unbeaten record in the tournament so far was going to hold, but with six minutes remaining Olise provided the decisive blow. After a scramble on the edge of the box, Kane found the France international with a delicate lay-off with the outside of his foot and Olise provided precision control with a superb side-foot finish into the corner. Konrad Laimer thought he had wrapped up the win with a third moments later but he was ruled offside. It was the first loss for a South American side in the competition and it leaves Boca with just one point going into their final game in the group. Bayern have the maximum six points after crushing Auckland City 10-0 in their opening game with Portugal's Benfica in second place on four points. — AFP
