"Hey Jobe" chants, but also catching up to do: Bellingham's double premiere

First game in the starting eleven, first goal: Jobe Bellingham had a double debut in the fortunate 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns. However, not everything went smoothly, as coach Niko Kovac noted afterward.

Matthias Dersch reports from Cincinnati

It was a seamless move: after Ronwen Williams, the keeper of Mamelodi Sundowns, could only parry Julian Brandt 's cross in the 41st minute, Jobe Bellingham chested it down, outwitting his direct opponent and then firing the falling ball into the bottom left corner in a fluid movement. It was the goal that made it 3-1 against the South African serial champions - and Bellingham's first goal for Borussia Dortmund. The 19-year-old scored in the second group match of the Club World Cup, which his new club happily won 4-3 , thus scoring a double debut, as he was also in the starting eleven for the first time on Saturday.

"It's crazy when the ball goes in the goal. Everything felt so slow in that moment," Bellingham said after the victory in the heat of Cincinnati, describing the moment of his first goal – which was followed by the new fan chant "Hey Jobe," which shouldn't pose any melodic problems for anyone in the black and yellow fanbase. And even Bellingham, who doesn't like being compared to his brother Jude, was able to live with it: "The background is clear," he said, well aware that the Beatles song had already been sung for Jude in Dortmund. "If they sing my name in a positive way, that's a good thing."

The reason Bellingham spoke to the media at all was because he was named player of the match – and therefore, after a brief interview with the broadcaster DAZN, he had to answer four questions at the official press conference. This didn't pose any problems for him that day. Unlike the weather, which presented the Dortmund players with temperatures well over 32 degrees Celsius and direct sunlight, it was extremely challenging.

"Sundowns played a great game; they're certainly used to this weather," Bellingham said, paying tribute to their opponents, who entered the match as clear underdogs but posed a major challenge to Dortmund's defense. He paid tribute to their more than courageous performance, which they delivered unfazed by the climatic conditions. "We'll have to get used to it as the tournament progresses. That's the requirement of this competition."

Bellingham also still has to get used to his new teammates and the routines at BVB. He and Brandt formed a double eight/ten on Saturday, while Felix Nmecha and Pascal Groß doubled the six position behind them. The spatial distribution, however, was problematic, especially at the beginning – partly due to Bellingham's lack of discipline.

"You might have heard me once or twice," said BVB coach Niko Kovac, as he took his seat on the podium a few minutes before Bellingham, and immediately provided an explanation for the noise: "Jobe was very free, especially when the opponent had the ball. He ran out of position and didn't hold it the way he should have. I tried to instruct him again and again."

Kovac wasn't angry with his new signing. How could he? After all, Bellingham only joined his new team shortly before leaving for the USA – and he has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to BVB tactics. Because, according to Kovac, "he doesn't yet have what we've developed in four months. So that can't work either. He's doing well, but there's still a lot missing."

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Things are different when it comes to his footballing abilities. Against Sundowns, he impressed in this area not only because of his goal, but also because he was able to prevail against up to three opponents in several situations thanks to his physical robustness and technical finesse. Kovac also attested to his "physical presence and a good sense of situations," which he frequently demonstrated in his interactions with Nmecha, who was positioned behind him.

The duo is "the future of the club," Kovac concluded, after they had proven that they can already help in the present: Like Bellingham, Nmecha also scored. The 24-year-old then confirmed that he already gets along very well with his teammate, who is five years younger than him, despite their short time together: "We both have a pretty good connection." The fact that this connection works not only off the pitch but also in the game was, alongside the victory, the best news of the day from BVB's perspective.

While Wednesday's match against Ulsan HD of South Korea is still one step away from qualifying for the round of 16, Bellingham, in particular, is finding every day he can work with the new team helpful. This is one of the reasons why everyone involved ultimately pushed for him to be transferred to Dortmund during the transfer window specifically set up for the Club World Cup. "It's helpful both on and off the pitch to be involved so early," Bellingham stated. "It helps me and the team."