Fluminense got their 2025 Club World Cup campaign off to a strong start when they took on German giants Borussia Dortmund at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Flu, who narrowly avoided the embarrassment of playing in the second tier and in the Club World Cup after a late rally at the back end of the 2024 season, have since gone from strength to strength. This season in the Brasileirão, they look far more comfortable, sitting in the top half of the table — exactly where they feel they should be.

They started off the brighter of the two sides with high-energy, high-pressing, and fluid football, and they went close early on through their Colombian star Jhon Arias, who fired an effort just over Gregor Kobel’s crossbar inside the opening five minutes.

The front three of Arias, Agustín Canobbio, and Everaldo linked up well, rotating and pressing hard from the front, helping Flu dominate the early chances.

Hércules played a key role in winning the ball back in midfield and even went close himself with a powerful strike from range that whistled past the post, before Martinelli tried his luck from a similar position with the same outcome, as the sides went into the half-time break level.

The second half began just as the first ended, with Fluminense on the front foot. Arias capitalised on some sloppy defending from the Dortmund backline, which led to a well-worked move, but Hércules fired his shot high over the bar.

Then Arias was involved once again, playing a delightful pass for Everaldo to run on to, he then teed up Canobbio, who had a tame effort at Kobel. Perhaps Everaldo will feel he could have had a go himself.

Dortmund finally had their first effort at goal in the 60th minute of the game when Marcel Sabitzer forced 44-year-old Fábio into an easy save. Then came the best effort of the game when Everaldo forced Kobel to make yet another save. Kobel parried the ball into the path of Nonato, and it looked like he would give Flu the lead, only to be denied by a heroic save from Kobel, which wouldn’t have mattered in the end, as Nonato was in an offside position.

 The match then settled down in terms of chances, with both sides taking the sting out of the game until a late rally from Dortmund saw Süle have a long-range effort, which was saved. In truth, Fluminense will be the happier of the two sides, having gone close on multiple occasions, but their attention now turns to Ulsan on Saturday evening.