Real Madrid hold off Guirassy and Dortmund to secure semifinal place at FIFA Club World Cup

Real Madrid hold off Guirassy and Dortmund to secure semifinal place at FIFA Club World Cup

Real Madrid hold off Guirassy and Dortmund to secure semifinal place at FIFA Club World Cup

Real Madrid produced a composed performance on Saturday, eliminating Borussia Dortmund and qualifying for the semifinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup with a 2-0 victory at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Dortmund star striker Serhou Guirassy was starved of service as Los Merengues jumped on the German club to deliver a knockout blow in the opening twenty minutes that Dortmund could not quite recover from. Young Real academy graduate Gonzalo García was the striker to watch on Saturday with his clever finish opening the scoring in the 10th minute.

Real remained ruthless and stayed hungry for more with a deserved reward ten minutes later. A methodical movement down the right wing opened up space for Trent Alexander-Arnold and the former Liverpool star produced a trademark cross to find the opposite fullback, Fran García, for a rare goal.

The suspension of Dortmund star midfielder Jobe Bellingham due to yellow card accumulation was a massive blow and also denied observers the opportunity to see the younger Bellingham face brother Jude. The struggles continued for most of the second half for the German side.

However, Dortmund made a late push for a frantic finish during second half stoppage time. It appeared that Maximilian Beier’s strike at the beginning of added time would be just a consolation after Kylian Mbappé’s spectacular finish arrived in an instant response.

But Guirassy finally got his chance after a penalty kick was awarded and Madrid defender Dean Huijsen was sent off for a foul in the box and the Guinean converted.

In one final desperate attack to equalize the match, Madrid goalkeeper Thibault Courtois had to come up with an excellent save to preserve the deficit to deny Dortmund a miraculous comeback.

The 2024-25 La Liga runners-up will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals for yet another intriguing clash, the winner of which will be considered the favorite in the final. The two European giants will meet on July 9 (19:00 GMT) at MetLife Stadium.

⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recent Post

No recommended posts at this time.