Real Madrid have booked their place in the semi-final of the Club World Cup after edging past Borussia Dortmund in a dramatic 3-2 victory at the MetLife Stadium on Saturday night.
The Spanish giants, who finished the match with ten men, secured the win thanks to a spectacular acrobatic finish from Kylian Mbappé, who sealed the game late in stoppage time.
Madrid began the game on the front foot, with Gonzalo Garcia opening the scoring just ten minutes in after expertly converting a pass from Arda Güler. The lead was doubled in the 20th minute when Fran Garcia latched onto a cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold and slotted home.
The match seemed settled until a flurry of late drama turned the game on its head.
Maximilian Beier pulled one back for Dortmund two minutes into added time, only for Mbappé to respond almost immediately with a stunning acrobatic volley from another Güler delivery, restoring Madrid’s two-goal cushion.
Moments later, tension peaked when Madrid defender Dean Huijsen, a recent signing from Bournemouth, was shown a straight red card for bringing down Serhou Guirassy in the box. The Guinea international stepped up to convert the penalty in the 98th minute, bringing the score to 3-2.
Dortmund nearly forced extra time with a final opportunity, but Thibaut Courtois came up big with a crucial save to preserve Madrid’s lead and send them through.
Real Madrid will now face Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-final on Wednesday, July 9, also at the MetLife Stadium.
The reigning UEFA Champions League winners, PSG, had earlier defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 despite finishing the match with nine men. Goals from Desire Doué and Ousmane Dembélé were enough to see the Parisians through in another action-packed encounter.
Madrid’s semi-final against PSG promises to be a thrilling showdown between two of Europe’s elite clubs.
