Crazy Fluminense: takes the lead, gets caught up and then beats Ulsan 4-2. Now they are first
It is said that from the square in front of the MetLife Stadium you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the Manhattan skyline. Perhaps this is also why Roberto Baggio decided to treat himself to a trip to New Jersey to watch a match that wasn't exactly a top-notch match: a gamble that paid off with a spectacular match, in which the hard-working Koreans in the albiceleste jersey first overturned the Brazilians who were all possession and futebol bailado , then allowed themselves to be caught up in turn. The result was a spectacular 4-2, aided by the imagination of Colombian Arias and made concrete by the entrance of Keno, the joker drawn from the deck by Renato Portaluppi. Fluminense is now first in the group: for the round of 16, it will be enough not to lose to Mamelodi. Ulsan was mocked and eliminated from a World Cup that they played to the best of their ability.
Off and running, Fluminense puts the pedal to the metal: in the first 90 seconds, the Brazilians come close to scoring twice with Ganso, who highlights the reflexes of 33-year-old Hyeon-Woo. The double risk rings the alarm bell for the Koreans, who follow the script already seen in their debut: everyone behind the ball line and initiative in the feet of their opponents, who after 20' have 81% possession. The plan holds up for 26', when Bojanic loses a bloody ball in the middle of the field and forces Trojak to bring down Martinelli on the edge of the area. It's the perfect clod of earth for Arias who, after a propitiatory glance at Roberto Baggio in the stands, draws the trajectory of 1-0, surprising the goalkeeper on his own post. The game seems to be going downhill for the Tricolor and, instead, in the last 6 minutes everything changes: it's the 39' when Ganso tries a useless backheel that triggers the counterattack of Ulsan. The Koreans only need three passes to get to the goal: a pass from Bojanic, a cross from Won Sang and a tap in from Lee Jyn-Hyun. Scholastic and effective for the 1-1. Then, the unthinkable: Lee Jyn-Hyun sprints down the left and returns the favor to Won-Sang, who slips between the two Flu center-backs and dives for the 1-2. Two shots on goal, two goals: Portaluppi, a former Roma player, needs a refresher on Italian football during the break.
The game starts again with Everaldo replacing Ganso among the Brazilians, but the mass of attackers still triggers the Korean counterattacks, with Ludwigson first and then Won-Sang Um one step away from the third. In the 60th minute Portaluppi also brings on Nonato and Keno: it is the double change of the turning point. From an action of the latter, the cross is released in an awkward manner by the Korean defense right at the feet of Nonato: the Brazilian takes aim, opens the plate and makes it 2-2. Then it is a roller coaster: first Cano misses the goal with his head, then Fabio stops the umpteenth Korean counterattack in a desperate exit. Oliver consults with the VAR and confirms: no penalty. From the dream, to the joke: on the developments of a corner kick Freytes, perhaps the worst on the pitch up to that moment, slams a loose ball into the net and gives the almost unexpected 3-2 to Fluminense. The whirlwind of substitutions at the end mixes the cards and leads to a comfortable 4-2 by Keno: assist by the usual Arias, MVP of the match, and a header from the Brazilian. It ends like this: Fluminense joins Dortmund at the top and confirms the trend of a Club World Cup increasingly colored in green and gold.
La Gazzetta dello Sport
