The strange reason why Dortmund's bench 'disappeared' at the FIFA Club World Cup

Dortmund's first win at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was hard-fought, but the most curious thing came from... the bench.

Jobe Bellingham scores and celebrates under the scorching sun in Ohio - Photo: AFP

Dortmund have been in unconvincing form at the FIFA Club World Cup so far, drawing goalless against Fluminense in their opening match.

In the second match of Group F, which ended in the early morning of June 22, Dortmund only had to face South African representative Mamelodi Sundowns, and they had to struggle to win 4-3. In which, Jude Bellingham's younger brother, Jobe Bellingham, contributed a goal for the German team.

That was a game in which Dortmund had just 40% possession and 8 shots. That was significantly lower as Mamelodi Sundowns had 60% possession and had twice as many shots. But one of the reasons Dortmund played poorly was said to be the heat in the US.

Their most recent match took place at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati (Ohio), and the kick-off time was exactly… 12 noon. According to TNT Sports, the temperature in the stadium was currently 30.5 degrees Celsius with intense heat.

Dortmund's reserve players had to hide in the dressing room due to the harsh weather - Photo: DORTMUND

For a European team, these are tough conditions to play under, even with a cooling break between each half.

Also because of this weather, in the first half, Dortmund's bench was almost empty when the players suddenly "disappeared". On social network X, this team said that the players had to hide in the locker room to watch the match because they could not stand the harsh heat.

After the match, coach Niko Kovac also complained about the unfavourable playing conditions. He said: "We struggled to cope with the high temperatures and against a team that could withstand the weather better (Mamelodi Sundowns from Africa). We came to the Club World Cup hoping to win the championship, but the conditions were too difficult for the whole team."

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ly-do-ky-quac-khien-bang-ghe-du-bi-cua-dortmund-mat-tich-tai-fifa-club-world-cup-20250622085529824.htm