Real Madrid have officially become the fourth and final team to book a spot in the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup, following a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund according to Flashscore.
Reports gathered by softfootball, revealed Madrid were clear favourites going into the tie, and they took control early, with Arda Güler delivering a perfectly weighted pass to find Gonzalo García, who calmly slotted home the opener.
Dortmund’s defence continued to struggle, and Madrid capitalised once again. Twenty minutes later, Alexander-Arnold delivered a teasing cross to the far post, which García converted for his second of the night, doubling Real Madrid’s lead.
It was smooth sailing for the Spanish giants in the first half, and had it not been for wasteful finishing, they could have gone into the break with a three-goal cushion.
Dortmund, however, looked like a different team after the restart. They began pushing forward with purpose and nearly halved the deficit around the hour mark, but Julian Brandt failed to convert a golden chance.
Madrid regained control and continued creating opportunities, but finishing remained an issue. Just when it seemed like the game would fizzle out, late drama unfolded in the final minutes.
Dortmund pulled one back through Maximilian Beier, but their hopes were immediately dashed as Kylian Mbappé responded moments later, restoring Madrid’s two-goal lead.
However, Dean Huijsen was sent off shortly after, conceding a penalty in the process, which Serhou Guirassy calmly converted to make it 3-2.
Upon the nervy finish, Madrid held on to seal a spot in the semi-finals, where they’ll now face Paris Saint-Germain. Recall, Softfootball earlier reported that nine-man PSG shocked Bayern Munich to reach the last four.
Despite seeing red twice, the French treble winners held on and even closed out the game thanks to Ousmane Dembélé’s late goal. ESPN had revealed, Bayern had won the last encounter with PSG in November, but the Parisians were slight favourites and made their pedigree count.
All eyes will now turn to this blockbuster clash between two European powerhouses, as Real Madrid and PSG battle for a place in the Club World Cup final.
