“Not many teams keep clean sheets against Man City”: Jude Bellingham delighted with Borussia Dortmund’s defensive resolve

Jude Bellingham was delighted with Borussia Dortmund’s defensive showing against Manchester City, as they sealed their place in the UEFA Champions League round of 16.

Borussia Dortmund played out a goalless draw against Manchester City on Tuesday evening to qualify for the knockout rounds of the UEFA Champions League. The Black and Yellows delivered a resolute defensive performance and showed that they are capable of going toe to toe with the best teams on the biggest stage.

Jude Bellingham was delighted with Borussia Dortmund’s defensive performance, highlighting the fact that not many teams have been able to prevent Manchester City from scoring this season. In an interview with BT Sport, the England international said:

"“It’s good for us from that side of the game. Defensively we were really good. I think not many teams keep clean sheets against Manchester City, especially this season with all the quality they’ve got.”“So to do that is really promising for us. I think we could’ve gone for it a little bit more but we can be grateful in the end they missed a penalty and Greg made a huge save.”“There’s different things to take away from the game. But overall we are happy because we were here to get to the next round and we have done it.”"

Led by an outstanding defensive shift from Mats Hummels, the Borussia Dortmund defence did a great job of keeping the world-class Manchester City forwards quiet for the majority of the game. The team defended as a unit, with even Youssoufa Moukoko and Karim Adeyemi making important defensive contributions. And goalkeeper Gregor Kobel stepped up in the second half and made an excellent save to deny Riyad Mahrez from the penalty spot.

Bellingham heaped praise on Kobel after the game, saying that the Swiss shot-stopper puts in excellent performances for his team in every game.

"“He’s getting his praise now for what was a brilliant performance. But in all honesty, he drops performances like that every week. So it’s a pleasure to play with someone like him. A great character as well as a great goalie.”"

The win helped Borussia Dortmund qualify for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The draw for the last 16 is set to take place on November 7, and Edin Terzic’s side will go up against one of the group winners in the next round.