Real Madrid crush Dortmund to reach Club World Cup semi-final

EAST RUTHERFORD: Real Madrid advanced to the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup after a thrilling 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund at MetLife Stadium on Saturday.

The Spanish giants were in control for much of the match, taking an early two-goal lead thanks to clinical finishes from Gonzalo Garcia and Fran Garcia in the 10th and 20th minutes, respectively.

Madrid created several more opportunities, with Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. both coming close but unable to convert their chances. Despite the missed opportunities, Madrid remained dominant, keeping Dortmund largely at bay through the first 80 minutes.

The tempo shifted dramatically during stoppage time. Dortmund substitute Maximilian Beier ignited hopes of a comeback by pulling one back in the 93rd minute.

However, Kylian Mbappe, who had been relatively quiet, responded immediately with a spectacular volley to restore Real Madrid’s two-goal advantage just a minute later.

Dortmund refused to back down. Striker Serhou Guirassy broke through Madrid’s defense and was brought down in the box by Dean Huijsen.

The foul resulted in a straight red card for Huijsen, ruling him out of the upcoming semi-final. Guirassy calmly slotted the penalty to reduce the margin to 3-2, but time ran out before Dortmund could find an equaliser.

Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso acknowledged his team lost control in the final stages.

“We were doing really well and the match looked under control, but in the last 10 minutes, things got crazy. We lost focus without the ball, but luckily we held on. Overall, it was 80 good minutes and 10 we’ll need to improve,” Alonso said.

Madrid will face PSG in the semi-final on thursday, while Fluminense take on Chelsea in the other tie.