Key Points

Borussia Dortmund secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ulsan HD to top Group F in the Club World Cup. Daniel Svenssen’s first-half strike proved decisive despite Ulsan goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-Woo’s heroic saves. Dortmund dominated possession but struggled to extend their lead against a resilient Ulsan defense. Coach Niko Kovac praised his team’s progress while shifting focus to their Round of 16 clash.

Key Points: Dortmund Edge Ulsan 1-0 to Top Club World Cup Group F

  • Svenssen scores decisive goal in 36th minute
  • Ulsan's Jo Hyeon-Woo makes multiple stunning saves
  • Dortmund dominate with 20 first-half shots
  • Kovac confirms focus shifts to Round of 16 prep
2 min read

Club WC: Dortmund top group after edging out Ulsan 1-0

Borussia Dortmund secure narrow victory over Ulsan HD, advancing as Group F winners in FIFA Club World Cup 2025 with Svenssen's decisive goal.

"We wanted to get through the group stage, we wanted to reach the Round of 16. We’ve achieved that. – Niko Kovac"

Cincinnati, June 26

Borussia Dortmund topped their FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group F with a narrow 1-0 win over already-out Ulsan HD on Thursday. They will face the runner up from Group E in Atlanta on July 1.

Daniel Svenssen put the German side ahead in the 36th minute of a first half which was completely dominated by the German side in front of the virtually deserted stands of the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati.

Borussia had 20 shots in the first half, with eight of those on target, but they were frustrated time after time by Ulsan's South Korean international goalkeeper Jo Hyeon-Woo.

The opening goal finally arrived after a mistake in playing the ball out from defense which allowed the impressive Jobe Bellingham to win possession and set up Svenssen to finally score with a left-foot shot.

It should have been 2-0 soon afterwards but Jo made a stunning save to deny Serhou Guirassy's header.

Ulsan looked to press higher up the field in the second half and Borussia goalkeeper Gregor Kobel was called into action for the first time in the game, although he wasn't forced to make a difficult save.

Yan Couto had a great chance to double Borussia's lead in the 82nd minute, but once again Jo produced a flying save to deny his bouncing left-foot shot.

Carney Chukwuemeka also went close to a second for Borussia in the closing minutes but while his effort was blocked his team never faced serious pressure in the final moment.

We wanted to get through the group stage, we wanted to reach the Round of 16. We’ve achieved that. We’ve finished first and we’re happy about it. Of course, we’re already looking at the possible next opponent. We were looking even before. It’s not like we’re unprepared. Now, because we finished first, we don't play until July 1, so we have enough time to prepare for the opponent," said Niko Kovac, Borussia Dortmund coach.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Dortmund's performance was clinical but they should have scored more goals given their dominance! That Korean goalkeeper Jo was absolutely brilliant though - reminds me of our own Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's heroics for India 🇮🇳
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Priya M.
As an Indian football fan, it's inspiring to see Asian teams like Ulsan competing at this level. Hope our ISL clubs can reach this standard someday. Dortmund's young players like Bellingham show why European clubs dominate world football.
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Arjun S.
Empty stands in Cincinnati? Not surprised! FIFA keeps hosting tournaments in places where football isn't the main sport. Should have been in India - we would have packed the stadium even for a group match! #FootballPassion
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Sunita V.
Dortmund's defense looked shaky when Ulsan pressed higher. They'll need to improve against stronger opponents in knockout stages. Still, happy to see them top the group - been following them since the Klopp era!
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Vikram J.
The match showed why we need better youth development in India. Look at Dortmund's academy products! Meanwhile our clubs spend crores on foreign players instead of building local talent. Time for a change!
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Neha P.
That save by Jo against Guirassy's header was world class! 👏 Asian goalkeepers don't get enough credit. Dortmund should be worried about their finishing though - they'll need to be more clinical against tougher opponents.

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