Real Madrid Edge Borussia Dortmund in Thrilling Club World Cup Quarter-Final
Real Madrid became the final team to book their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup after a dramatic 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund in a pulsating encounter that had fans on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
The Spanish giants stormed into an early lead, going 2-0 up midway through the first half. Rising star Arda Güler split the Dortmund defence with a pinpoint pass to Gonzalo García, who calmly finished first-time past the goalkeeper. Minutes later, it was Fran García who doubled the advantage, converting a clever assist from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior both had golden chances to extend the lead before the break, but couldn’t convert, while Aurélien Tchouaméni rattled the crossbar with a thunderous effort on the hour mark.
The real drama, however, unfolded deep into stoppage time. On 92 minutes, Adam Hložek pulled one back for Dortmund, sparking hopes of a comeback. But just moments later, a sublime diagonal ball from Güler found substitute Kylian Mbappé, who delivered a sensational scissor-kick finish to make it 3-1.
Then came more chaos. On 95 minutes, Serhou Guirassy won a penalty and saw Dean Huijsen sent off for a last-man foul. Guirassy converted the spot-kick to bring it back to 3-2. Dortmund pushed for extra time, and in the 99th minute Marcel Sabitzer had a glorious chance, but Thibaut Courtois pulled off a stunning save from point-blank range.
Final score: Real Madrid 3-2 Borussia Dortmund. The result sets up a semi-final between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, while the other semi-final will see Fluminense take on Chelsea.
2025 FIFA Club World Cup
Real - Borussia D 3:2 (2:0)
Goals: García G., 10 (1:0); García Fr., 20 (2:0); Beier M., 92 (2:1); Mbappé, 94 (3:1); Guirassy, 98 (penalty) (3:2)
Real: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold (Dani Ceballos, 67); García Fr.; Rudiger; Huijsen (till 97); García G. (Rodrygo, 86); Güler A.; Tchouaméni (Asencio R., 85); Bellingham (Mbappé, 67); Valverde F.; Vinícius Júnior (Modric, 67)
Bench: Lunin Andriy; Carvajal; Militão; Ramon J.; Andres Chema; Vazquez L.; Diaz Br.; Martin Ma.; Muñoz
Yellow Cards: Mbappé 98
Red cards: Huijsen 97'
Borussia D: Kobel; Anton; Bensebaini; Süle (Couto, 46); Ryerson; Svensson D.; Brandt (Duranville, 63; Chukwuemeka C., 82); Groß (Nmecha F., 46); Sabitzer; Adeyemi K. (Beier M., 46); Guirassy
Bench: Meyer A.; Ostrzinski; Мане Ф.; Azhil; Reyna G.; Campbell C.
Yellow Cards: Groß 38; Couto 64
