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 side stamped their authority on the match early at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, dominating possession and taking a two-goal lead thanks to strikes by Gonzalo García and then Fran García in the 10th and 20th minutes.
Despite the reduced intensity of playing in New Jersey’s scorching heat, Madrid seemed to be comfortably seeing out the match 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 Mbappé 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 former Bournemouth 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.
Alexander Abnos’s report from the MetLife Stadium to follow shortly
