Mamelodi Sundowns made history by earning their first-ever victory at a FIFA Club World Cup (CWC), edging past Ulsan HD 1-0 in Orlando. The result adds to Ulsan’s struggles against international opposition, marking their eighth loss in nine such encounters.
Despite Ulsan’s previous experience at the tournament—having featured in 2012 and 2020—it was Sundowns who started brighter. The South African champions thought they had opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Iqraam Rayners turned in a corner at the near post. However, VAR intervention ruled the goal out after determining that Rayners had made the final touch with his hand.
Rayners would not be denied for long. Just seven minutes later, he latched onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Lucas Ribeiro and calmly found the bottom-left corner with an exquisite outside-of-the-foot finish.
Ulsan nearly responded on the stroke of halftime when Seong-Beom Ko’s looping effort appeared destined for the top-right corner, only to be headed off the line by Divine Lunga in a vital piece of defending.
The second half offered fewer chances, though Ribeiro threatened again eight minutes after the restart with a curling attempt that was expertly blocked by an Ulsan defender. As time wore on, Ulsan’s hopes faded, with Sundowns in control and rarely troubled at the back.
Despite some late pressure from the K League champions, Sundowns held firm to secure a memorable win. The result propels Miguel Cardoso’s side to the top of Group F, taking advantage of the earlier 0-0 draw between Dortmund and Fluminense.
In contrast, Ulsan now face a difficult path forward, anchored at the bottom of the group and in desperate need of a turnaround to keep their tournament
hopes alive.
