A solitary first-half goal from Daniel Svensson secured a 1-0 victory for Borussia Dortmund against Ulsan HD on Wednesday, allowing the Germans to advance to the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
Following their 4-3 defeat of Mamelodi Sundowns on Saturday, Dortmund’s second consecutive win by a single goal ensured they topped Group F.
Fluminense qualified for the last 16 in second place after holding Sundowns to a scoreless draw in Miami.
Dortmund’s coach, Niko Kovac, has often said the challenges presented by the intense heat in June in the United States, and this match was yet another played in extremely hot mid-afternoon conditions. Despite the heat, Kovac only adjusted his starting lineup, with Karim Adeyemi and Julian Ryerson coming in, while Jobe Bellingham retained his position in the squad.
The Bundesliga powerhouse could have won by a larger margin on another sweltering day in Cincinnati, but Serhou Guirassy was thwarted by a solid save from Jo Hyeon-woo in the 27th minute.
Bellingham then blasted a volley just over the bar from an Adeyemi cross moments later, but the all-important goal arrived in the 36th minute—Ulsan’s poor defending saw them lose possession just outside their box, allowing Bellingham to set up Svensson, who struck low with his left foot.
Guirassy, who has had a standout season, should have scored in first-half stoppage time with a close-range header that went directly at the goalkeeper.
Dortmund’s Gregor Kobel was called upon in the 60th minute to deny Lee Jin-hyun, while Yan Couto nearly made it 2-0 late in the match.
Kovac’s squad will next compete in their last-16 match in Atlanta next Tuesday and will learn the identity of their opponents later on Wednesday when Group E concludes.
Ulsan returns home with three losses from three matches, whereas Fluminense has advanced. Thus, all four Brazilian teams in the tournament have advanced to the knockout stage.
The conditions in Miami were also challenging. Late in the first half, captain Jhon Arias sent a shot across the goal and wide for Fluminense.
After halftime, German Cano came close for the Rio de Janeiro team, while Sundowns had more possession throughout the 90 minutes but failed to secure the victory they needed to advance in front of a crowd of 14,312.
Their elimination means that none of the four African teams that participated in the tournament will reach the last 16, but Sundowns‘ performances allow them to depart with their heads held high.
