Dortmund 2 Monterrey 1 – Suspended Jobe misses Bellingham derby with Jude, fans warned over homophobic chant at Club World Cup

New York Times

17 hours ago

A frustrated Jobe Bellingham will miss out on a first competitive meeting with brother Jude after being booked in Borussia Dortmund's 2-1 win over Monterrey in their Club World Cup last 16 game.
Earlier in the day Jude Bellingham helped Real Madrid defeat Juventus 1-0 to set up a potential quarter-final against his brother at MetLife, New Jersey, on Saturday.
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And that fixture looked odds on when Serhou Guirassy scored twice in the first 20 minutes to put the German side in control, only for Jobe to pick up a needless booking three minutes later. Jobe was booked against Ulsan in group stage, with two bookings in the tournament leading to a one-game ban.
Monterrey pulled one back three minutes into the second half through German Berterame, who had a second ruled out for offside as the Mexican side pinned Dortmund back.
Ultimately, Dortmund held out, meaning there will be no reunion for Sergio Ramos, the Monterrey captain, with Real Madrid, the club he represented 671 times over 16 seasons, with the 39-year-old heading a late chance wide.
The game was also marred by a homophobic chant with FIFA saying it was aware that some Monterrey supporters had shouted a slur at the opposition goalkeeper during his run-up to take goal kicks. A message was displayed towards the end of the game saying the match may have to be suspended.
Here The Athletic's Mark Carey, Felipe Cardenas and Oliver Kay break down the key talking points.
Rip up the paper, scrunch it up in a ball, and throw it in the bin. The story of the Bellingham brothers playing a first competitive game against each other at the Club World Cup will not be happening.
Jobe came into the game knowing that brother Jude and Real Madrid were waiting for the winner of this game but that a yellow card would suspend him for Dortmund's quarter-final clash should they qualify.
After 27 minutes, with Dortmund already 2-0 up, Jobe tracked Monterrey's Nelson Deossa down the line with the Colombian going nowhere, before a needless late foul brought a caution that he could have avoided. The change in his body language was visceral, knowing the consequences of such a split-second decision.
Jobe looked crestfallen as he saw referee Facundo Tello following him with a yellow card and it deprives the competition of what would have been a fascinating contest. The frustration remained when Jobe was substituted on 55 minutes.
Just over two years younger, Jobe's path to Dortmund has followed in the footsteps of Jude but they share much of each others' games.
Not only do they operate in similar positions, but it's the gait, the running style, the stature. Jobe's tendency to ghost into the box unmarked has been a hallmark of his older brother's, with the 19-year-old arguably more of a box-to-box profile if you were forced to offer differences between their traits.
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A shame for the Bellingham family, of course — but given that the pair will be playing Champions League football next season, you would not bet against a family clash occurring in the near future.
Mark Carey
Late in the first half, with Monterrey down 2-0, Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel prepared to take a goal kick. After he sent the ball downfield, one section of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd yelled a discriminatory chant that has, unfortunately, become synonymous with Mexican football. The homophobic chant grew louder in the second half each time Kobel sent a dead ball downfield.
According to a FIFA representative on site in Atlanta, there is a protocol in place to first address that type of crowd behaviour and then respond to it. The objective is to give the referee the ability 'to take escalating action when such incidents occur among fans or participants.' Per FIFA, such measures are part of a new FIFA disciplinary code that has been implemented for the Club World Cup.
FIFA has been criticised by anti-discrimination campaigners after football's world governing body appeared to roll back messages challenging racism or discrimination at the Club World Cup in the U.S..
After Monterrey cut the Dortmund's lead to 2-1, the crowd became even more energized and the chant was heard again. It continued throughout the second half but referee Facundo Torre allowed play to continue. In second half stoppage time, an anti-discrimination message was played over the stadium's loudspeakers.
Felipe Cardenas
Death, taxes, and Serhou Guirassy scoring a goal when he takes to the field.
We really are in that territory of inevitability with the Guinea international in the past couple of years, with his two goals against Monterrey making it 37 for the season in all competitions as he set Borussia Dortmund on their way to secure their place into the quarter-finals.
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The two finishes were clinical on Tuesday evening, both tucked into the corner of the goal with conviction and purpose as he opened his body up to fire past Monterrey goalkeeper, Esteban Andrada. In fairness, Guirassy's team-mates are under no illusion in serving him the ball, with no player having had more shots than the 29-year-old's 15 in this summer's tournament.
For those who might not be Bundesliga fans, Guirassy has been one of the most clinical finishers in Germany in the past two seasons. If not for the other-worldly numbers from Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, the 29-year-old would have two Torjagerkanone's (Bundesliga top goalscorer trophy) on his mantelpiece.
A tally of 28 league goals for Stuttgart in 2023-24 earned Guirassy his move to Dortmund last summer, with 21 league goals in his first campaign made all the more impressive when considering Dortmund's disappointing season overall. Collectively in that time, Guirassy's attacking rate has equated to exactly one goal per game in Germany.
For Dortmund, all roads lead to Guirassy — and with good reason.
Mark Carey
And so the quarter-final line-up is complete. On one side of the draw, there is Palmeiras vs Chelsea on Friday afternoon, followed by Fluminense vs Al Hilal. On the other, there is Paris Saint-Germain vs Bayern Munich on Saturday afternoon, followed by Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund.
It makes for a reasonable geographic spread: while there is the expected majority from Europe (two from Germany and one apiece from England, France and Spain), there are also two teams from Brazil and one from Saudi Arabia. One European finalist is guaranteed, but on the other side of the draw it is Chelsea vs the rest of the world.
On tonight's evidence, Dortmund have to be considered outsiders. They rushed into a 2-0 lead with two delightful link-ups between Adeyemi and Guirassy, but they ended up grateful for some wasteful finishing from a spirited Monterrey side. Real Madrid might not be so forgiving.
Oliver Kay
Monterrey looked to be completely out of the match at half-time. Ramos put his hands on his hips and looked demoralised as he led his team into the tunnel. But it seemed like an inspired speech had taken place inside the Monterrey dressing room. Berterame's close-range header after a brief scramble inside the Dortmund penalty area cut the score to 2-1.
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The partisan Monterrey crowd, which included neutrals in Inter Miami jerseys, turned Mercedes-Benz Stadium into a home ground for the Liga MX side. The crowd roared with each progressive pass. Monterrey's bench stood and watched a portion of the second half like cheerleaders as manager Domenec Torrent urged his side forward. The comeback was on. 'Sí se puede!' (It's possible!) was sung throughout the stadium.
With the pride of North American football on the line, Monterrey showed great grit to put the Bundesliga side on their heels for the better part of the second half. Despite the result, it was a positive display on the field for Mexican football.
Felipe Cardenas