By Kazeem Ugbodaga
In a pulsating FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final, Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, advancing to the semi-finals despite a late scare.
The match, officiated by Ramon Abatti, was a rollercoaster of goals, a red card, and a dramatic penalty, showcasing both teams’ attacking flair and defensive resilience.
Real Madrid struck early, with Gonzalo Garcia opening the scoring in the 10th minute. Latching onto a superb lofted pass from Arda Guler, Garcia fired a brilliant shot into the right side of the goal, setting the tone for Madrid’s dominance.
In the 20th minute, Fran Garcia doubled the lead, capitalizing on a precise pass to slot a low effort into the middle of the net.
Dortmund struggled to respond, with Julian Brandt’s header in the 6th minute narrowly missing and Pascal Gross’s long-range effort in the 12th comfortably saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Dortmund’s attacking attempts were thwarted by Real Madrid’s defense, with Courtois making key interventions, including a clearance against a threatening run by Karim Adeyemi in the 16th minute.
Despite Dortmund earning corners and free kicks, their efforts, such as Daniel Svensson’s cross in the 26th minute, were consistently neutralized.
The second half saw Dortmund’s Niko Kovac make tactical changes, introducing Maximilian Beier, Yan Couto, and Felix Nmecha at halftime.
Beier nearly pulled one back in the 61st minute, but his measured shot was saved by Courtois. Real Madrid, under Xabi Alonso, responded with substitutions of their own, bringing on Kylian Mbappe, Luka Modric, and Dani Ceballos in the 67th minute to maintain their edge.
Mbappe came close in the 75th minute, only to be denied by Gregor Kobel’s fine save. Modric also tested Kobel with a well-placed shot in the 74th minute, but Dortmund’s goalkeeper stood firm.
The match’s intensity peaked in stoppage time. In the 90th minute, five minutes of added time were signaled. Dortmund pulled one back in the 93rd minute when Beier unleashed a ferocious shot from outside the box, finding the left side of the goal to make it 2-1.
Real Madrid responded swiftly, with Mbappe restoring the two-goal cushion in the 94th minute, slamming a precise cross into the left post for a 3-1 lead.
However, controversy erupted in the 95th minute when Dean Huijsen’s jersey pull on a Dortmund player earned him a red card and conceded a penalty.
Serhou Guirassy converted the spot-kick in the 98th minute, rifling the ball into the top left corner to narrow the gap to 3-2.
Dortmund nearly equalized in the 100th minute, but Marcel Sabitzer’s glorious effort was thwarted by Courtois’s two-handed save, preserving Madrid’s lead until Abatti’s final whistle.
Real Madrid advances to the Club World Cup semi-finals, buoyed by their attacking prowess but needing to address defensive discipline after Huijsen’s red card.
