The expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup to a 32-team tournament was always going to mean a higher level of competition for any Asian side looking to emulate previous historic achievement by their continental counterparts.
The real magnitude of the task at hand was illustrated on Tuesday as the Asian Football Confederation’s representatives took to the field for the first time in the United States — with both suffering damaging defeats.
Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds were first up and were undeniably underdogs coming up against Argentine powerhouses River Plate, which proved to be the case as they were handed a 3-1 loss.
From the moment they fell behind to Facundo Colidio’s opener in the 12th minute, it was going to be an uphill battle.
Sebastián Driussi would pounce on a misjudged back-header by Urawa skipper Marius Høibråten to double River’s tally just after halftime and, while Yūsuke Matsuo would pull one back from the spot in the 58th minute, Urawa’s defeat was sealed when they conceded a third to Maximiliano Meza 17 minutes from time.
It was hardly a poor performance by the J1 League club, who came close to equalising before the break when Høibråten had an effort ruled out for offside while Takurō Kaneko forced River keeper Franco Armani into a smart save.
Nonetheless, it was undeniable that River — boasting four players from the Argentina squad that won the 2022 FIFA World Cup — were operating at a different level.
They had 59% of possession, played with far greater intensity on a bright and sunny Seattle afternoon, and ultimately made their chances count when it mattered.
Urawa are a side that has enjoyed some success in the Club World Cup previously, reaching the semifinals in both 2007 and as recently as 2023.
The former campaign even saw them achieve a third-place finish.
With games to come against Inter Milan and Monterrey, who played out a 1-1 draw in the other Group E opener, the Reds are already staring at an early flight home.
Later in the day in Orlando, South Korea’s Ulsan HD had arguably their best chance of picking up a win in Group F — coming up against a Mamelodi Sundowns outfit winless from two games in their previous appearance back in 2016.
Ulsan, who have won the K League 1 in the past three years, have not been at their best this season — already trailing leaders Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors by a staggering 12 points in third place.
Their inconsistent domestic form would be replicated on the international stage as they were completely dominated by Sundowns, who enjoyed a staggering 68% share of possession while firing away 14 shots to their opponents’ nine.
Ulsan were probably lucky to not have suffered more than a 1-0 defeat, which came courtesy of Iqraam Rayners’ 36th-minute strike.
It only gets more difficult from here with Ulsan next in action against Brazil’s Fluminense and then European powerhouses Borussia Dortmund.
Asia have two other hopes kicking off their campaign on Wednesday. Neither, on paper at least, will have it any easier.
Al Ain start with a daunting match against Juventus but then have Manchester City lying in wait before finishing the group stage with a less-frightful meeting with Wydad AC.
Given their big-spending ways in recent times, perhaps Al Hilal will stand a chance — but it does not help that they will open with a huge clash against Real Madrid.
They might hold some hope of pulling off upsets against Red Bull Salzburg and Pachuca further down the road.
But, when the opening round of fixtures at the new-look Club World Cup concludes on Wednesday, the situation could already be looking dire for the four teams flying the flag for Asian football.
