By Sachit Subba • Football • Jun 26, 2025 02:02 AM • 46 views
Borussia Dortmund are through to the Round of 16 in the FIFA Club World Cup after a composed 1–0 victory over Ulsan HD, thanks to a clinical first-half finish from Daniel Svensson at Cincinnati's sun-drenched TQL Stadium on Wednesday.
In a performance defined by early dominance and persistent attacking play, the Bundesliga side made their intent clear from the opening whistle. Jobe Bellingham, Felix Nmecha and Karim Adeyemi formed a fluid and aggressive front three that tormented the Ulsan defence, pinning the South Korean champions deep into their own half.
The breakthrough came in the 36th minute, and it was no surprise it originated from Bellingham. The England youth international threaded a razor-sharp pass through the defence to Svensson, who timed his run to perfection before slotting calmly past Jo Hyeon-woo.
"I'm elated," Svensson said post-match. "We created more goal-scoring chances than in our previous matches, and that was our biggest objective today. We dominated the match and produced so many great opportunities — that's a huge step forward for us."
Dortmund could have added a second before the break but were repeatedly denied by Jo, who delivered a standout performance despite the loss. The Ulsan stopper tipped Serhou Guirassy's thunderous header over the bar and later denied Pascal Gross with a diving save off a curling left-footed effort.
After halftime, Ulsan began to find their rhythm. Lee Jin-hyun tested Gregor Kobel from a tight angle in the 60th minute — one of the few clear chances the K League side mustered. Dortmund, however, remained in control and had late opportunities to seal the match through Julien Duranville and Yan Couto, only to be frustrated again by Jo's heroics. "We only scored once because the Korean team had an outstanding goalkeeper," Dortmund manager Niko Kovac said in his press conference. "But overall, I was pleased with how we dominated the first half. Our ball circulation and chance creation were excellent." With the result, Dortmund finished atop Group F on seven points, two clear of Brazil's Fluminense, who drew 0–0 with South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns. The Sundowns bowed out in third place with four points, while Ulsan's campaign ended without a single point. Dortmund now await their opponent in the Round of 16 — the runner-up from a fiercely contested Group E, which could be River Plate, Inter Milan, or Monterrey. For a side with aspirations of lifting silverware on the global stage, this was a businesslike performance from Dortmund — efficient, assertive, and far from their peak, but good enough when it mattered most.
