Club World Cup: Dortmund hold Fluminense to goalless draw in Group F opener
New Jersey: Fluminense FC and Borussia Dortmund played out an entertaining draw in their Group F curtain-raiser in the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium.
The Brazilian side, however, will perhaps feel their performance was worthy of maximum points. They played with speed and dynamism from the outset, with attacking duo Jhon Arias and Agustin Canobbio particularly prominent.
While clear chances proved hard to come by in the first half, Flu regularly threatened with long-range efforts. Arias, Martinelli and Hercules all came close to putting them ahead with strikes from outside the box.
Dortmund’s best moment of the opening period came when Karim Adeyemi darted down the left and flashed a ball across the box. Serhou Guirassy was inches away from converting.
Shortly before the hour, the Fluminense fans inside MetLife Stadium were on their feet when Everaldo burst clear on goal. Under pressure from defender Waldemar Anton, the striker opted to pass to Canobbio, whose shot was comfortably saved by Gregor Kobel.
Flu continued to look the more likely and Dortmund were indebted to Kobel when he parried Everaldo’s deflected shot. He then made a point-blank stop from Nonato on the rebound, although the midfielder was later flagged offside.
By this stage, Jobe Bellingham had been introduced for his Dortmund debut, and the Englishman quickly settled into the game, passing the ball with confidence and quality.
The Germans finished the match strongly but, with neither side able to make a dramatic breakthrough, the points were shared.
“Fluminense is a top team. We weren’t as aggressive as I expected in the first half. It was hard for us, we had to run a lot. Overall, it was a lucky point for us. But a draw against a Brazilian team is always a good start, and now we have to win the next games.” said Niko Kovac, Borussia Dortmund coach.