Dortmund's next two Club World Cup games are must-win, claims Kobel
Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel believes they need to win their next two games at the Club World Cup to reach the knockout round.
Gregor Kobel believes Borussia Dortmund have left themselves in a perilous position at the Club World Cup.
The Bundesliga side drew 0-0 with Fluminense in their opening match, which saw Jobe Bellingham make his debut following his switch from Sunderland.
Bellingham followed the footsteps of his older brother, Jude, in joining Dortmund, and played the final 30 minutes of the match.
Niko Kovac’s team managed to accumulate just 0.24 expected goals, their lowest total in any single game since September 2021, registering only seven shots despite having more possession than their Brazilian counterparts, who produced 0.64 xG from 14 shots.
It ended a run of seven straight matches with Dortmund scoring at least two goals. BVB have failed to score in consecutive matches just once since the start of the 2024-25 season, in February against VfL Bochum and Sporting CP.
And goalkeeper Kobel is adamant that Dortmund have to win their next matches to qualify for the knockout stage of the tournament.
“We need to win the next two matches,” Kobel told DAZN.
“After today's performance, we need to ensure that we rediscover the form that made us very strong at the end of the Bundesliga season in the next matches.
“So it's a case of getting the legs ready again and adjusting to the time difference. And then I'm positive that we can do well in the upcoming games.”
Kovac felt the draw was a fair result, as he pointed out that South American teams play better football than they are given credit for, with their league schedule also helping them in their Club World Cup preparations.
“We have to live with it [a draw] – and we can live with it too. It definitely wasn't our best game, but it was okay for the first match,” said Kovac.
“We Europeans think that football only takes place here, but some really good football is played in South America too. You also have to remember that we played our last match on May 17 – that's a month in which we've hardly been together.
“The Brazilians are in the middle of their season and have only recently been on a break. They're in a completely different rhythm. You have to take all that into account. We got the point, which was the minimum we wanted. Now it is a case of securing first or second place in the next two matches.”
Dortmund face South African side Mamelodi Sundowns in their next group fixture.
Iqraam Rayners scored the only goal, but had two more disallowed by VAR, as Mamelodi beat South Korea’s Ulsan HD in Group F.
Defeat for Dortmund in that fixture could see them all but knocked out, especially if Fluminense manage to beat Ulsan.
