Mamelodi Sundowns produced an impressive opening performance in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 1-0 win over K-League champions Ulsan HD at the Inter&Co Stadium on Wednesday evening in Orlando, Florida.
Sundowns and Ulsan went toe to toe in the opening half of the game which as predicted by several of the players pre-match, was like a boxing match at first, as they felt each other out with contrasting approaches of the game.
But Sundowns created the better of the chances, with Iqraam Rayners in particular, very lively – opening the scoring early one, but eventually saw it ruled out for handball as he deflected Lucas Ribeiro Costa’s whipped corner.
After 36 minutes, he had the ball into the net again, but this time it counted, as Ribeiro played him clean through on goal, with the front three alongside Arthur Sales, supported by captain Themba Zwane, paying dividends.
Rayners thought he had doubled the lead with a deft finish a couple of moments later but it was ruled out for offside by Video Assistant Refereeing (VAR) which was touch and go based on the images on display at the stadium.
While it was a rather underwhelming turnout from the locals, the Sundowns and Ulsan fans in attendance created an atmosphere that pushed the players towards an entertaining outing, as Sundowns, despite severe pressure from the Asian side, managed to control the game and see it out for an important victory ahead of their trip to Cincinnati this week to face Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund.
Sundowns are now top of Group F after BVB and Fluminense played out to a 0-0 draw in the other fixture earlier in the day at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey.
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