FOOTBALL – Fluminense held Borussia Dortmund to a 0-0 draw in their Group F Club World Cup opener in New Jersey yesterday, as the Brazilian side were left to rue missed chances at MetLife Stadium.
Having lost to Manchester City in the 2023 CWC final, Fluminense had the revamped format to thank for getting the chance to avenge that in the very next edition.
They looked determined from the off and tried to take advantage of Dortmund’s sloppy play, particularly down the wings where Jhon Arias got off their first two attempts, the second of which had to be batted behind by Gregor Kobel.
Serhou Guirassy failed to connect with Karim Adeyemi’s ball across the face of goal in Dortmund’s first real chance at the other end, but Hércules hit right back with a low drive which faded just wide of the post.
Aside from Julian Brandt’s weak effort into the arms of 44-year-old stopper Fabio, the rest of the half belonged to Fluminense.
Matheus Martinelli’s right-footed curler from the edge of the area almost brushed the outside of the post, before Kobel was again forced to stop Arias’ low effort from creeping in.
For all their promise, Renato Gaucho’s men were held to go into the break goalless, a surprise given that nine of Dortmund’s last 10 matches saw at least four total goals.
Dortmund’s sharpness saw little improvement after the restart, but thankfully for Niko Kovac, neither did Fluminense’s prolificity.
Hercules smashed over from a promising position, but their best chance came just before the hour mark when Everaldo raced away but perhaps erroneously laid it off for Agustin Canobbio, who could only find the gloves of Kobel.
Kovac tried to turn the tide by bringing on new signing Jobe Bellingham and Felix Nmecha, but the Tricolor remained inspired, and somehow didn’t take the lead when Kobel made a stunning save to stop Nonato’s rebound attempt from close range.
The tempo slowed and Fluminense couldn’t force another big opportunity, meaning the German side got away with one and remained unbeaten against Brazilian opposition after beating Cruzeiro in the 1997 Intercontinental Cup.
Fluminense fans will be disappointed that their side didn’t make the most of an excellent performance against the 2024 Uefa Champions League finalists, but it does serve up encouragement for upcoming matchups against Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns.
Fluminense head coach Renato Gaucho said: “I would like to send a warm hug to our supporters - I am sure that our fans here and in Brazil are very proud of our first match here in this tournament. We were superior to our opponent most of the time - almost all of the time.
“There are many teams that are financially better off than we are but on the pitch it’s 11 against 11 and it’s up to the attitude of our players and I’m so proud of them.”
Dortmund head coach Niko Kovac said: “As a former player and also as a coach I’m not surprised because I know Brazilian football very well and I knew that they have a lot of quality, a lot of experienced players.
“It is always also a battle - European football and South American football... for me, this was not a surprise and I’m convinced that most of these South American teams will pass into the next round.”
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