MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Fluminense held the Mamelodi Sundowns to a scoreless draw on Wednesday, denying the South African club the win they needed to advance to the knockout round at the Club World Cup.
Fluminense finished second in Group F to Borussia Dortmund, which defeated Ulsan 1-0 in a simultaneous game in Cincinnati. Both Fluminense and Dortmund will await the results of other matches to learn their opponents in the round of 16.
The Sundowns needed a win to advance. They had never won a Club World Cup match before defeating Ulsan in their opener. They then put up a valiant fight in a 4-3 loss to Dortmund.
The Sundowns, the crowd favorite at Hard Rock Stadium, came out with energy, determined not to see their run in the tournament end. They dominated possession (68%) in the opening half and made three shots on goal.
Fluminense’s best chance in the half came in the 40th minute on Nonato’s attempt from the edge of the box.
Forty-year-old Thiago Silva was on the bench for Fluminense because of muscle soreness. Germán Cano started in his place.
Temperatures in Miami were in the balmy mid-80s, but cooler than in recent days.
Key moment
Fluminense, which only needed the draw to advance, increased the pressure in the second half. Cano nearly scored in the 58th minute when he picked up a pass from Jhon Arias but his right-footed shot hit the right post.
Takeaways
Fluminense joins fellow Brazilian clubs Palmeiras, Botafogo and Flamengo in advancing to the round of 16 at the expanded Club World Cup. Fluminense played to a scoreless draw against Dortmond before defeating Ulsan 4-2 in their first two matches.
What They Said
“We showed the quality of the players, the technical ability of the players, and all the work from the past that has been done in the club, and also my work and my staff and assistant coaches. It has been a long journey for all of us, for the club itself and for the family that supports it. And today is not a happy result, but it is a very important day for us,” — Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso.
“It was a very hard match. Our opponent had possession of the ball most of the time, but we could block them. And now we are classified (for the next round) and that was our goal,” — Fluminense defender Ignacio, named the player of the match.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
