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Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund share the points after goalless Club World Cup opener

Karim Adeyemi and Thiago Silva battle for a high ball

    Key Takeaways:

  • Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund drew 0:0 in a tight Club World Cup clash with few clear chances
  • Brazilian side looked more dangerous, but Kobel delivered several key saves for the German team
  • Jobe Bellingham made his debut for Borussia, coming on as a substitute in the second half

Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund finished 0:0 in their first match at the Club World Cup. The game lacked major scoring opportunities, but the Brazilian side appeared more determined and dangerous for large portions of the contest. The draw seemed a calculated result from both teams considering the rest of the opponents in the group. New signing Jobe Bellingham made his debut for Borussia Dortmund, coming on in the 60th minute to replace Pascal Gross.

The first good opportunity came in the 18th minute, when Jhon Arias found space in the box and fired a solid shot, but Kobel stood firm and made an excellent save. About ten minutes later, Hercules tried a long-range effort that flew just past the left post.

In the 34th minute, Martinelli found himself unmarked in a promising position after receiving a cross on the edge of the box, but his shot was off target. Shortly after, Arias attempted another effort towards the bottom right corner, only to be denied again by the goalkeeper’s great reaction.

In the 58th minute, Agustin Canobbio latched onto a defence-splitting pass and fired a low shot at goal, but Kobel produced another fine save. In the 70th minute, a deflected ball reached Everaldo at the edge of the penalty area, and he tried a shot, but once again the keeper was in the right place.

In the 84th minute, Kevin Serna pushed forward down the flank, cut inside towards the penalty area, but without support opted to go alone. Kobel remained alert and collected the ball without trouble.

In the third minute of stoppage time, Borussia Dortmund nearly won the match with a long-range shot from Sule, but Fabio reacted brilliantly to keep the clean sheet.


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