It’s win or bust for Mamelodi Sundowns at the Fifa Club World Cup this afternoon as the South African champions look to make it into the knockout stage of the 32-team global showpiece.
Sundowns face off against Brazilian outfit Fluminense in the final match of Group F, knowing that victory is the only way for them to finish in the top two and qualify for the round of 16. Currently third in the group with three points following their victory in the opener against Ulsan, Miguel Cardoso’s team will be on six points should they win Wednesday
That will be enough to see them knock the team from Brazil out of the competition. Fluminense, however, will progress with just a draw, which would take them to five points.
But what if the unthinkable happens in the other match and Ulsan beat Borussia Dortmund, while Sundowns draw with Fluminense – aka the Big Flu?
The South Africans and the Germans would then finish on four points each, and a one-goal defeat for Dortmund would leave both teams with a goal difference of zero. Sundowns would then lose out on head-to-head rules, courtesy of the 4-3 defeat they suffered on Saturday.
Experienced as he is, Cardoso is surely not considering any other permutations and will have his team go in with the sole purpose of simply beating Fluminense. It is an achievable feat, even if the Brazilian outfit start as favourites.
For starters, Sundowns will be full of confidence after their admirable showing against Dortmund. They staged a spirited comeback that ensured the scoreline remained respectable. Looking dead and buried at half-time as they trailed 3-1, and then going 4-1 down by the hour mark, the perennial South African champions did something local clubs are not renowned for.
Ordinarily, a South African team would drop their heads and accept defeat, seeing out the match without much fight. Not so with this group — they dug deep and gave Dortmund a scare, scoring two late goals and forcing a nervy finish as they searched for an equaliser that never came.
Attacker Arthur Sales says the squad are walking tall after that match and feel more empowered for the future.
“Everyone is very proud,” said Sales on Tuesday.
“I think we learnt many things because when you play these big teams, you learn about different things. And we will put the new lessons to use for this next game against Fluminense.”
What should also count in their favour is that Fluminense are unlikely to play the high-press game that Dortmund used to force Sundowns into errors. Like Sundowns, the Brazilians enjoy building from the back and playing with flair.
It makes for an exciting match, Sales expained.
“We have good things for playing against them, and I think it is going to be a nice game because both teams like to play with possession. I think it will be a good game.”
“I think everyone in the Fluminense team is a good player because they are at a good level to play for Fluminense in the World Cup,” he added, before singling out midfielder Martinelli as a potential danger to Sundowns.
“We need to give more attention to these guys.”
What chance does Lucas Ribeiro have of shining against the stalwart that is Thiago Silva?
Sundowns’ talismanic attacker has the opportunity to show his country just how good he is. Having already impressed with that brilliant goal against Dortmund, another top performance could open doors to some of the world’s bigger leagues.
The same rings true for the rest of the Sundowns squad, who have already endeared themselves to global viewers with their performance against the Yellow Submarine.
Progression into the last 16 is what will truly put the name of Mamelodi Sundowns on the world map—and that can only be achieved through victory.
Do they have it in them to beat Fluminense?
Masandawana — and the rest of South Africa — anxiously wait to see.
