🔬 The Debrief as River Plate head home and Bellingham stars
The penultimate evening of Club World Cup group stage action saw four more fascinating games with some major scalps now heading home.
Here's what went down.
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What happened? 📝
Daniel Svensson's first half strike, after great work from Jobe Bellingham, was enough to see Borussia Dortmund beat a disappointing Ulsan outfit and go through top of Group F.
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In the other game, Mamelodi Sundowns put up an excellent fight against Fluminense but couldn't quite get it done. As it was, their 0-0 saw the Brazilian side go into the last 16 in second place.
Group E meanwhile was a much more fiery affair.
Monterrey hammered Urawa Red Diamonds 4-0 with Nelson Deossa's first half strike going down as the goal of the tournament so far.
And that win saw the Mexican side leapfrog River Plate and go through in second place.
The Buenos Aires giants completely lost their heads late on in the game against Inter, losing 2-0 and having two men sent off.
Player of the Day 🔥
Monterrey's emphatic victory over Urawa was in no small part to German Berterame.
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The Argentine striker netted his 24th and 25th goals of the campaign to send the Rayados into the last 16, where they'll play Borussia Dortmund.
Stat of the Day 📊
Mamelodi Sundowns may be heading home, but they do so as one of the tournament's standout names.
What this means 🤔
The last 16 bracket is almost completed.
As mentioned above, Borussia Dortmund take on Monterrey in Atlanta next Tuesday with the winner of that encounter playing the likely victor between Real Madrid and Juventus or Manchester City.
On the other side of the draw it's Inter who face Fluminense in a sweltering North Carolina on Monday. The winner of that game will play either Juventus or Manchester City from Group G and potentially Salzburg and Al Hilal from Group H.
What they said 🗣️
📸 Dan Mullan - 2025 Getty Images
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"The most important thing is we have got the job done. We have qualified. It was a game that was very tough in the first half. In the second half we controlled the game better. We controlled the space better and, after the red card [for Lucas Martinez Quarta], it was much easier for us." Cristian Chivu, Inter coach
"They are physically strong. Technically, they are good. We played the game that we wanted, that we had to play. Unfortunately, the [red card] did not allow us to reach the end with some chances... It's a shame, a shame for all these people who have come to support the team, that we could not give them the chance to continue." Marcelo Gallardo, River head coach
"We have played some of the most beautiful football in this tournament. The story of this game is the goal we didn't score in the first 20 or 25 minutes. But we kept the intensity and the quality. I'm so proud of my boys. I'm so proud of the club. " Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns coach
What's next? 👀
The group stage will conclude later this evening with four more games.
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It's a direct shoot-out for first place between Juventus and Manchester City in Florida.
The other match in Group G sees Wydad and Al Ain hoping not to leave the tournament on zero points.
Then it's on to the final group with Real Madrid facing Salzburg with both sides on four points.
That leaves a slight glimmer of hope for Al Hilal, on two points, who play Mexican side Pachuca.
📸 JUAN MABROMATA - AFP or licensors
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