Fluminense secured a thrilling 4-2 victory over Ulsan HD at MetLife Stadium during the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC), scoring twice in the final minutes of the second half.
In their last ten matches, Ulsan had a remarkable record of having at least one goal per game, and it seemed likely that trend would continue, especially after Fluminense’s explosive start. Within the first two minutes, Ulsan’s Jo Hyeon-woo made two outstanding saves.
The Ulsan goalkeeper first denied Paulo Henrique Ganso’s volley, pushing it to safety, and then, following the subsequent corner, he acrobatically redirected another powerful shot from Ganso over the bar. Fluminense maintained pressure as the match approached the 15-minute mark, with Juan Pablo Freytes’ header just grazing the wrong side of the post.
The Brazilian side’s dominance finally paid off in the 27th minute when Jhon Arias unleashed a stunning free-kick into the top corner. It wasn’t long before Fluminense nearly doubled their advantage, but Jo again came to Ulsan’s rescue with two rapid saves from Gabriel Fuentes.
However, Ulsan turned the tables just before half-time in a stunning turnaround. A swift counter-attack from their own half saw Lee Jin-hyun slot home Um Won-sang’s misdirected shot. In the dying moments of the first half, Lee’s exquisite cross found Um, who headed in from close range, unexpectedly putting the K League 1 champions in front.
After the break, Um had a golden chance to stretch Ulsan’s lead but wasted the opportunity, shooting wide. In response, Fluminense’s coach Renato Gaucho made three substitutions just before the hour mark, introducing Nonato to invigorate his side.
It took just seven minutes for Gaucho’s changes to bear fruit, as Freytes elegantly side-footed his shot into the far corner, setting up a tense finish.
After earlier thwarted attempts, Freytes celebrated in style in the 83rd minute, converting Germán Cano’s cross-shot with power.
A lively contest was settled in Fluminense’s favour in stoppage time of the second half when Keno confidently nodded in Arias’ cross, propelling the Brazilians to the top of Group F. Conversely, the defeat leaves Ulsan at the bottom of the standings with no points, thus ending their campaign in the FIFA 2025 CWC.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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