Real Madrid edged past Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a dramatic Club World Cup quarter-final on Saturday to set up a semi-final against Paris St Germain.
The Spanish giants stamped their authority on the match early at the MetLife Stadium, dominating possession and opening a two-goal lead thanks to strikes by Gonzalo and Fran Garcia in the 10th and 20th minutes.
Despite the reduced intensity of play in New Jersey’s scorching heat, Real comfortably saw out the match, leaving Dortmund unable to mount a comeback until the game exploded into life in added time.
Substitute Maximilian Beier pounced on a rebound in the 93rd minute to pull one back for Dortmund, but a minute later Kylian Mbappe restored Real’s two-goal cushion with a stunning volley, showcasing his trademark composure.
Dortmund refused to back down, however, and Serhou Guirassy’s pace saw him break through Real’s defence only to be pulled down in the box by Dean Huijsen.
The defender was shown a straight red card, ruling him out of the semi-final, and Guirassy coolly converted the resulting spot-kick to reduce the deficit to 3-2.
Dortmund came within inches of forcing extra time when in the ninth minute of added time Thibaut Courtois produced a sensational save to deny Marcel Sabitzer’s powerful strike.
Real Madrid now turn their attention to PSG, who defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 to book their place in the semi-finals. The winners of that clash will face Fluminense or Chelsea in the final.
(Reuters)
