Borussia Dortmund boss Kovac ‘delighted’ after qualification to Round of 16

Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac admitted he was “delighted” after his side progressed to the knockout phase of the Club World Cup following a 1-0 win over South Korean club Ulsan.

Dortmund went into the game knowing that a point would secure safe passage to the last 16, and while Kovac’s team made hard work of it against their already-eliminated opponents, the slim chance of their exit rarely looked like a genuine possibility.

Daniel Svensson grabbed the only goal of the game on 36-minutes and it could have been more were it not for a combination of wasteful finishing and an inspired performance from Jo Hyeon-woo in the Ulsan goal.

Next, please. ✊ pic.twitter.com/tkGdvPjn4X

— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) June 25, 2025

The result ensured the German club leapfrogged Fluminense, who began the day in pole position but were held to a goalless draw by Mamelodi Sundowns, to top Group F.

Dortmund will now meet the runners-up of Group E next week, which could be Inter Milan, River Plate or Monterrey.

“We wanted to get through the group stage, we’re delighted,” Kovac said.

“It was decent for the heat, especially in the first half. We managed the game in the second half. The bottom line is that Fluminense and us deserve to progress.”

“We dominated the first half, I think the xGoals figure was in the region of three. That’s okay for these temperatures. Of course, we’ve been looking ahead for a while and are prepared.

“We’ve got almost a week now, we don’t play until Tuesday, so we’ll be playing in July and no longer in June.”