EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — Fluminense became the latest Brazilian side to move top of their Club World Cup group after performing a second-half rescue act to come from behind and avoid an almighty upset in a 4-2 win over Korea’s Ulsan HD at MetLife Stadium on Saturday evening.
Second-half goals from substitutes Nonato and Keno, along with a goal from Juan Pablo Freytes, helped Fluminense overturn a 2-1 deficit at the break in a topsy-turvy encounter in New Jersey.
Earlier, goals from Jin-hyun Lee and Wan-sang Um had sent Ulsan into an unlikely first-half lead and stunned the strong contingent of Fluminense fans among the 29,321 crowd in East Rutherford.
Hardly anyone could have expected that the Brazilian side would trail at the break when Jhon Arias curled in a sensational freekick to give Fluminense a deserved lead after a dominant opening half-hour.
However, a spirited but limited Ulsan side scored with each of their first two shots on target to snatch an unlikely lead and threaten one of the biggest shocks of the tournament so far.
Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho bemoaned his side’s lack of focus after a hydration break shortly after the half-hour mark, when Ulsan struck to turn the game on its head.
“We played a really good game. We scored the first goal, and then when we ended up relaxing,” Gaucho said. “We need to concentrate for 90 minutes. When you’re not focused, things happen.”
Fluminense recovered to move to the top of Group F, joining fellow Brazilian sides Botafogo, Palmeiras, and Flamengo in topping their respective groups after two games.
Brazilian clubs are yet to taste defeat at the newly expanded Club World Cup.
Fluminense, who largely had the better of their opening game against German side Borussia Dortmund, started by far the stronger on Saturday evening.
It was one-way traffic for the majority of the first half as the Brazilian side penned Ulsan in their own half and enjoyed almost 80% of the ball.
They finally took a deserved lead on 27 minutes when Arias whipped a delightful free kick past Jo-Hyeon Won and into the top corner. The shot was to the ‘keeper’s side, but the inch-perfect placement meant Hyeon-Woo got nowhere near it.
It appeared to be a matter of time before Fluminense would add to their lead, with both Gabriel Fuentes and Hercules forcing Hyeon-Woo into smart saves close to the half-hour mark.
Seven minutes later, however, the large pocket of Fluminense fans packed into the stadium’s North End stood in silence as Ulsan equalized with their first shot of the game.
The goal came out of absolutely nothing after Ganso failed to pull off a flick on the edge of the Ulsan penalty area.
The K League champions broke at pace through Um, who drove to the byline and flashed across goal, evading the despairing dive of Fabio. Lee was on hand to tap into the empty net from the tightest of angles.
That same duo combined again on the stroke of half time to further stun Fluminense, with Lee turning provider and finding Um with a cross from the left wing. The Ulsan striker made no mistake from eight yards, firing an excellent diving header beyond Fabio to give the Korean side the most improbable of leads at the interval.
Fluminense continued to dominate after the break but struggled to create clear-cut chances against a well-organized Ulsan backline as they went in search of an equalizer.
In fact, Ulsan should have doubled their lead on 56 minutes when Um raced through on goal. However, the Ulsan striker initially hesitated before sending a shot narrowly wide of the post.
He was made to pay for that missed opportunity ten minutes later when substitute Nonato finally hauled Fluminense level with a cool finish from just inside the area following excellent work from fellow substitute Keno down the left wing.
Fluminense should have scored again within 60 seconds when Everaldo – another influential substitute – produced a peach of a cross to Germán Cano at the back post. Cano, however, sent his diving header well wide when it seemed easier to score than miss.
Ironically, it was another miscued Cano attempt that inadvertently sent Fluminense back into the lead with seven minutes remaining.
The Fluminense striker’s scuffed shot from a Fuentes corner fell to Freytes in the six-yard box, and the Argentine defender made no mistake to put the Brazilian side back in front.
Keno added gloss to the score in second-half stoppage time to cap off an excellent individual performance, arriving at the back post to head an Arias cross into the back of the net.
Fluminense next takes on Mamelodi Sundowns in their final group game, while Ulsan HD comes up against Borussia Dortmund. Defeated on Saturday spelled elimination for the Korean side.
