Borussia Dortmund progressed to the Round of 16 of the 2025 Club World Cup with a 1-0 victory over South Korean side Ulsan.
Daniel Svensson grabbed the only goal of the game on 36-minutes in a contest Niko Kovac’s team largely dominated but were thwarted on several occasions by an inspired Jo Hyeon-woo in the already-eliminated Ulsan goal.
Dortmund required just a point to ensure qualification to the knockout stages but, courtesy of Fluminense’s goalless draw with Mamelodi Sundowns, the German club went through as Group F winners.
Dortmund will meet the runners-up of Group E, which could be Inter Milan, River Plate or Monterrey.
6 von 6 aus Cincinnati. Weiter ins Achtelfinale! 🤝#FIFACWC #BVBUlsan pic.twitter.com/tz8W1tqQFq
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) June 25, 2025
Dominant Dortmund frustrated in front of goal
In what was a frustrating but mostly comfortable 90-minutes for Dortmund in Cincinnati, the first real chance of the match fell to Dortmund’s Julian Ryerson after a quarter of an hour. But the Norwegian full-back’s effort curling wide of the mark.
Just under 10 minutes later, Dortmund should have been in front when an incisive interchange between Guirassy and Bellingham saw the former bearing down on goal.
However, his weak effort did little to trouble Jo inbetween the Ulsan sticks.
The South Korean keeper again showed his credentials moments later when Guirassy had another glorious chance to give Dortmund the lead but the 33-year-old shot stopper was equal to it.
Bellingham then volleyed over before the former Birmingham City and Sunderland playmaker poked an effort wide from a narrow angle.
Dortmund were showing their superiority, dominating possession and creating chances, but the Bundesliga side were proving wasteful in front of goal.
Prior to kick-off, the TQL Stadium had averaged six goals a game in the tournament. That statistic looked in danger of being significantly hampered here, but on 36-minutes Svensson finally broke the deadlock, firing home from Bellingham’s unselfish lay-off.
Svensson knackt das Schloss! 🔓 pic.twitter.com/W3vOZM7pXv
— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) June 25, 2025
Felix Nmecha drove a shot that fizzed narrowly past the post before Jo saved impressively from both Pascal Groß and Guirassy as Kovac’s side went in search of a second before the break, but to no avail.
A spirited second-half from the South Korean club
Ulsan showed a bit more fight early in the second-half, registering their first attempt on target in the 47th minute.
Bellingham, on a yellow card, was replaced shortly before the hour mark as Kovac rang the changes.
But it was Ulsan who were in the ascendency. The South Korean side saw their best chance a few minutes later when Jin-hyun Lee Lee’s strike was parried by Gregor Kobel before the Dortmund keeper was again tested by Ko Seung-Beom.
At the other end, Jo once again showed remarkable reflexes to push Yan Couto’s scuffed shot round the post.
It proved to be last real chance of the contest. Dortmund saw out the game and avoided the humiliation of an early tournament exit.
