Jobe Bellingham has opened his account for Borussia Dortmund with a goal against Mamelodi Sundowns FC at the FIFA Club World Cup. The Englishman was making his full debut on Saturday, after joining the club earlier this month.
Dortmund were 2-1 up in the match when the former Sunderland man found the back of the net from inside the box. He did well to control the ball with his chest and create space for himself and launched a volley towards the goal.
The ball took a slight deflection off the Sundowns defender, who was on the floor, and left the goalkeeper wrong-footed.
Speaking after the match, Bellingham admitted that it was nice to get on the scoresheet for his new club. He said via GOAL:
"It's a really nice bonus. I am glad we won but there are still a lot of things for me to improve on personally and for the team. I am really pleased with it. I practice that so many times, not that exact finish, but arriving late on the edge of the box as a midfielder is something you need to be really good at. If you can score, if you can contribute those kind of goals a certain amount per season then you are doing really well."
Borussia Dortmund managed to get a thrilling 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns to get their first win of the tournament. They were held to a goalless draw in the opening matches of the tournament by Fluminense.
Jobe Bellingham unfazed by fee paid by Borussia Dortmund to sign him
Jobe Bellingham spoke about his move to Borussia Dortmund earlier this week and said that he was not bothered about the fee the Bundesliga side paid to sign him. He said that the focus is on improving himself on the pitch and there is no pressure about following his brother's footsteps. He said via Sunderland ECHO:
“I don't really care how it looks, but it might look a bit contradictory to some people. I was perhaps being biased against Dortmund for a very long time, because I have anxieties and fears, and you want to be your own man. But I don't think I should let those stop me from making the right decision. For me, it was about choosing the right path, not necessarily a different one. I don't think my path has been the same as Jude's at all."
"But it meant if the right path meant signing for Borussia Dortmund – as so many top young players have – then why would I not do it? It would be a big mistake to sign for another club just because Jude's played here and it didn’t go well. So either way, there are risks on both sides. There are pros and cons to every club.”
Jobe Bellingham and Borussia Dortmund will be in action for their final match of the group stage against Ulsan Hyundai on Wednesday.