Jobe Bellingham came off the substitutes’ bench to make his debut for Borussia Dortmund in a goalless draw with Brazil’s Fluminense at the Club World Cup in New Jersey.
The England Under-21s midfielder, 19, followed in the footsteps of older brother Jude, whose last appearance during a three-year spell with Dortmund was in May 2023.
The new signing from Sunderland, however, was unable to inspire the German side to victory at MetLife Stadium.
Fluminense, runners-up to Manchester City in the 2023 edition, included 44-year-old goalkeeper Fabio in their starting line-up.
The veteran recorded a clean sheet on the 1,375th appearance of his career as Fluminense carved out the better chances.
Colombia forward Jhon Arias was particularly dangerous going close three times, while Hercules and Matheus Martinelli both fired narrowly wide.
Fluminense’s Agustin Canobbio wasted a glorious chance when he fired straight at goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, who also denied Nonato with the save of the match.
Bellingham was making his Dortmund debut 24 days after helping Sunderland win promotion to the Premier League by beating Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Reading-born winger Jamie Gittens, a target for Chelsea, and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, on loan at Dortmund from Chelsea, appeared as late substitutes for the German side.
What was the main talking point?
After Chelsea’s Club World Cup opener against Los Angeles FC was played in front of thousands of empty seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, all eyes were on the crowd at MetLife Stadium.
This impressive venue has been selected to stage the World Cup final on 19 July 2026, and Fluminense’s passionate fans, who travelled in good numbers from South America, brought the noise as they cheered every challenge their team won.
But once again there were plenty of empty seats for a match which kicked off at noon, local time.
The official attendance was announced as 34,736.
The record attendance for a football game at the venue is 82,262 for a friendly between Manchester United and Arsenal in 2023.
Who stood out?
How old is Thiago Silva again?
The Fluminense centre-back, who turns 41 in September, looked as sharp as ever as he reminded fans that he still has plenty to offer.
The former Chelsea player won the Champions League and Club World Cup with the Blues in 2021.
He captained Fluminense in this match, turning in an immaculate performance and reading the game well to frustrate Borussia Dortmund.
What’s next for these teams?
Both are back in action on Saturday. Borussia Dortmund play South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati (17:00 BST), before Fluminense face South Korea’s Ulsan HD back in New Jersey (23:00).