Fluminense, the Rio de Janeiro club managed by Renato Gaúcho, arrives at the World Cup at a very good moment for the club. A sequence of 6 unbeaten games for the Tricolor, which was put at risk in a group containing 3 giants from 3 different continents: Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), and Ulsan HD (South Korea).
Game 1: Fluminense 0-0 Borussia Dortmund
Fluminense's debut at the Club World Cup was marked by a surprising match against Borussia Dortmund. Against the main opponent in the group, Renato Gaúcho's team managed to impose their ideals for much of the game, coming dangerously close numerous times. So much so that Kobel, the German team's goalkeeper, was the best player of the match, with a rating of 8.2 (Sofascore). Despite the goalless draw and inferiority in ball possession, many considered the Brazilian team superior in the game.
Despite Borussia's superiority in ball possession in both parts of the game, few were the times they brought concrete danger to Fábio's goal. With the high volume of play through the wings, Fluminense managed to impose themselves through the flanks and propose play in the middle of the field, winning 67% of duels. The German team couldn't be efficient, despite managing to control the ball more (54% possession) and make more accurate passes (263).
In the second half, the intensity of both teams dropped, but Borussia managed to explore their ideal game a bit more. Their possession increased by 1% and the team began to win their offensive duels (55% duels won) and defensive duels (71% duels won), and this led goalkeeper Fábio to make 3 saves, the only ones of the game. Given the greater volume, this exposed the team to counterattacks — Fluminense's main chance came from a counterattack after a long pass from Hércules to Everaldo.
The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with 14 shots (5 on target) for Fluminense and 7 (3 on target) for Borussia. Despite inferior possession, the Tricolor demonstrated maturity to execute their offensive plays and overcome the German team's defense with their fast style of play and their speed transitions through the wings.
Game 2: Fluminense 4-2 Ulsan HD
Fluminense delivered a great performance against the current three-time South Korean champion, Ulsan HD. The 4-2 victory, despite some defensive lapses, was convincing. The Tricolor's game was characterized by the high positioning of players, exchanging relatively short passes in the midfield and opponent's area, resulting in an impressive 70% possession and 92% accurate passes by the end of the match. The game, however, was not without scares for Fluminense, who suffered a comeback at the end of the first half, leading Renato Gaúcho to make a bet on an even more offensive game with the exit of Ganso and the entry of Everaldo. The risk paid off, as the superiority of actions in the final third of the field yielded 3 goals and sealed Fluminense's victory. The great highlight of the match was Jhon Arias, who showed himself extremely present on both sides of the field, scoring a beautiful free-kick goal and providing an assist to Keno at the end of the game.
Fluminense's pass network against Ulsan HD.
Game 3: Mamelodi Sundowns 0-0 Fluminense
In the final round, the group was wide open. Any of the teams had a chance, even if small, to qualify. In a game where Fluminense only needed a draw and Mamelodi Sundowns needed a victory, the game demonstrated the importance it was for each team — the South African team managed to neutralize various offensive weapons of the Tricolor and was superior almost throughout the entire game (67% possession in the first half and 69% in the second). This 0-0 draw is largely due to the outstanding defensive performance of Fluminense's team, with about 67% of tackles won and 42 ball recoveries. It's also important to recognize the maturity and defensive organization of the South African team, as they managed to neutralize the main player of the Rio team: Jhon Arias. He had the lowest number of actions on the ball among the 3 games (57) and couldn't shoot on goal. Renato Gaúcho knew how to play with a tactic that invited the opponent forward and managed to extract the draw, securing qualification in second place in the group.
Conclusion
Fluminense's group stage was not easy. They played a surprising debut match, made big mistakes despite the convincing victory in the second match, and played an extremely dull final game. The predictions showed Fluminense as the third force in this group: 39.4% chance of advancing to the round of 16, behind Mamelodi Sundowns (47.1%) and Borussia Dortmund (74.9%) (Opta). Despite this, the team managed to qualify in a difficult group. The Flu had both defensive lapses and wasted goal opportunities, which should be crucial points for improvement in the next game.
Offensively, the lack of rhythm due to Germán Cano's recovery is notable, as the Argentine had 5 shots on goal and missed 3 chances. The striker was gaining rhythm throughout the 3 games, but it wasn't enough to see him at his best form, which is crucial for Fluminense. Still, Cano had only fewer shots than Jhon Arias (9), who was twice elected as the best player of the match by FIFA and obtained the best Sofascore rating in all group stage games. Defensively, the Rio team had lapses against Ulsan HD, but overall, had a good performance, with clean sheets in the other two games. The good performance of the Tricolor defense — with highlights for Freytes and Renê — resulted in few shots against Fluminense, especially in the game against Mamelodi Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund; in comparison, only Ulsan HD had fewer shots in the match against the German team. With a match scheduled against Inter Milan, it wouldn't be controversial to say that Fluminense has every chance to maintain the sequence of Brazilian team qualifications in this Club World Cup.
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