Gregor Kobel believes that Borussia Dortmund left himself in a dangerous position at the Club World Cup.
The Bundesliga side pulled 0-0 with Fluminense in their opening match, in which Jowe Bellingham saw his debut debuting after his switch from Sunderland.
Bellingham followed the footsteps of his older brother, Jude, near Dortmund and played the last 30 minutes of the game.
The Niko Kovac team managed to collect only 0.24 expected goals, their lowest total in a single match since September 2021, the registering of only seven shots despite more possession than their Brazilian counterparts, which produced 0.64 xg of 14 shots.
It ended a point of seven straight matches with Dortmund that scored at least two goals. For example, since the beginning of the 2024-25 season, in February against VFL Bochum and Sporting CP in successive matches in successive games to score.
And goalkeeper Kobel is very sincerely that Dortmund has to win their next competitions to qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament.
“We have to win the next two games,” Kobel told Dazn.
“After today's performance, we have to ensure that we rediscover the form that we rediscover us at the end of the Bundesliga season in the following games.
“So it's a matter of preparing the legs again and adapting to the time difference. And then I am convinced that we can do well in the upcoming games.”
Friends, reunited pic.twitter.com/0kmqaaecwo
– Borussia Dortmund (@blackyellow) 17 June 2025
Kovac thought that the draw was a reasonable result, because he pointed out that South American teams play better football than for which they get the honor, with their league schedule also to help them prepare their club World Cup.
“We have to live with it [a draw] – And we can also live with it. It was definitely not our best game, but it was okay for the first game, “said Kovac.
“We Europeans think that football takes place here alone, but also really good football is also played in South America. You also have to remember that we played our last game on May 17 – that is a month in which we have hardly been together.
“The Brazilians are in the middle of their season and have only recently had a break. They are in a completely different rhythm. You all have to take into account. We have the point, what the minimum was that we wanted. Now it is a case of securing the first or second place in the next two games.”
Dortmund is confronted with South African side Mamelodi Sundowns in their next group relationship.
Iqraam Rayners scored the only goal, but two had not allowed VAR by VAR, while Mamelodi defeated the Ulsan HD of South Korea in group F.
Reports for Dortmund In that fixture she could see anything but switched off, especially if Fluminense succeeds in beating Ulsan.