Mamelodi Sundowns have saved the day for African teams at the FIFA Club World Cup, earning the continent’s first victory since the start of the competition.
The South African side became the third African team to feature at the competition, following Al Ahly and Esperance Tunis, who managed a draw and a defeat against Inter Miami and Flamengo, respectively.
Iqraam Rayners netted the only goal of the match against South Korea’s Ulsan HD, ensuring the Brazilians delivered Africa’s first victory at the ongoing tournament.
The game, played at the Inter & Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, was delayed by an hour due to adverse weather. But when play finally resumed, Masandawana rose to the occasion and recorded their maiden win at the FIFA Club World Cup.
This was Sundowns’ first appearance at the competition in nine years.
Just 29 minutes in, the Brazilians thought they had taken the lead when Rayners tapped in a corner at the near post. However, the goal was disallowed after replays confirmed he had used his hand.
Refusing to be discouraged, Rayners found redemption in the 36th minute, capitalising on a through-pass from Lucas Ribeiro to slot in what would be the decisive goal.
The victory places Sundowns at the top of Group F with three points—two ahead of tournament favourites Borussia Dortmund and Brazilian side Fluminense.
Sundowns coach reaction
Coach Miguel Cardoso expressed his satisfaction with the result. “We are very happy to be in this experience, fulfilling dreams,” he told reporters. “Making it an objective of winning a game at a FIFA Club World Cup in this new format of the tournament, it’s not easy to achieve victory; it was a long way until this moment.”
Cardoso also praised his team’s display. “We made a very wonderful first half; it was important that we could keep the pace and not go away from the game plan to try and score the second goal, which was small details, centimetres; we could not do it,” he said.
For winning a match in the group stage, Sundowns will pocket a whopping USD 2 million. They now shift their focus to Saturday’s crucial clash against Borussia Dortmund, where a win could seal their place in the knockout stages.
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