South African champions, Mamelodi Sundowns, received their opening sport on the Membership World Cup on Yesterday as striker Iqraam Rayners netted the one aim in a 1-0 win over South Korea’s Ulsan HD.
The outcome put this month’s African Champions League runners-up high of Group F after Borussia Dortmund have been held 0-0 by Fluminense earlier within the day.
It was additionally a primary victory for an African facet on the new-look 32-team match in the USA after Egypt’s Al Ahly drew their opener whereas Esperance of Tunisia misplaced to Flamengo on Monday.
Rayners’ aim got here 9 minutes earlier than halftime on the Inter & Co Stadium in a match that was delayed by simply over an hour as a result of risk of lightning in central Florida.
The groups had come onto the pitch to start out the match earlier than French referee Clement Turpin ordered them again to the change rooms as a precaution.
Rayners had two different firsthalf strikes dominated out after VAR checks one for handball and the opposite inches offside.
The hassle which counted was a well-worked effort with Sundowns’ Brazilian playmaker Lucas Ribeiro slipping a cross by means of the Ulsan defence for the striker to poke into the online.
Sundowns might have been forward contained in the opening 20 seconds after some slick passing arrange an opportunity for Ribeiro however his effort was blocked.
It set the tone for nearly whole dominance by Sundowns, who had greater than 70 per cent of possession, although their passing sport was too pedestrian at instances they usually have been wasteful in entrance of aim.
Ulsan seemed for probabilities on the counter and had their greatest alternative within the fourth minute after a fast break however the Korean membership’s Brazilian ahead Erick Farias missed with the aim at his mercy.
Ulsan have been not often on the entrance foot however did have two alternatives that Sundowns scrambled off the road.-Reuters
