Mbappe 'better' and ready for Real Madrid against Dortmund at Club World Cup
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said superstar striker Kylian Mbappe is "better" ahead of the Club World Cup quarter-final clash against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, but would not confirm if the Frenchman will start.
Mbappe missed all three group matches at the tournament with a stomach bug but returned as a substitute when Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 to reach the last eight.
Advertisement
Youngster Gonzalo Garcia has led the line for Madrid in all four games and scored three goals in the United States.
"He's better, he's been recovering, tomorrow morning we will decide (if he starts)," Alonso told reporters Friday, before saying it might not mean 21-year-old Gonzalo had to drop out of the team.
"They can (play together), depending on the moment and the needs, they are complementary, if the context asks for it and I haven't ruled it out by any means," continued Alonso.
The Spaniard said he wanted the players "to know first" before revealing what his plans were for the match at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Advertisement
Brazilian winger Rodrygo has not featured much in Alonso's plans at the tournament and when he has appeared, has not been able to contribute significantly.
"I spoke yesterday with him and he's got a positive mentality, he's willing and ready when he's needed," said Alonso.
One player who has impressed Alonso is 20-year-old playmaker Arda Guler, who struggled for game-time under Carlo Ancelotti last season.
"It's the moment to invest in a process with Arda, we will push him to develop and mature, but knowing that he can make mistakes, and accept them," added the Spaniard.
Advertisement
Saturday's game is a repeat of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, in which Madrid defeated Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley.
If Dortmund do not retain fond memories of that night, they do enter the contest armed with plenty of knowledge of Real's new coach having come up against Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen over the past three years.
- Kovac: 'We believe' -
"You see a lot of Bayer Leverkusen at the moment in Real Madrid because he is implementing his style of football," said Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, with the Spanish giants operating with a back three at the tournament.
"He is playing the same shape, but the quality of players is higher than at Leverkusen.
Advertisement
"I would say in three weeks you can't change the world, it takes time, but we have seen some very good stuff. It will be interesting and hopefully we can compete."
Dortmund are returning to the MetLife Stadium, just outside New York City, where they began their Club World Cup campaign with a 0-0 draw against Fluminense.
Now they are hoping to emulate the Brazilians, who qualified for the semi-finals on Friday with a 2-1 victory over Al-Hilal.
"When we started the tournament we didn't know how it would go," admitted Kovac, whose team arrived in the United States after finishing fourth in the German Bundesliga.
Advertisement
Their only defeat in 14 matches since mid-March came against Barcelona in the Champions League.
"Of course we are very happy because this is a great tournament and the further on we go we can see the passion and intensity that there is.
"We played Fluminense who have made it to the semis, and yet people laughed when I said they were a top team.
"Now we want to stay here and we hope and believe we can get through to the next round."
rbs-as
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
18 minutes ago
- CNN
Diogo Jota's spirit and tenacity made him the perfect fit for Liverpool, a city that has had to fight
There is a Diogo Jota performance that many Liverpool supporters will remember above all others. In October 2022, with the Reds struggling badly for form, Jota and Co. came up against a Manchester City team that would go on to win a historic treble that season. A month before the 2022 men's World Cup – the tournament Jota later said was 'one of his dreams' to play in – many players might have taken it easy for fear of injuring themselves. Not Jota. The Portuguese forward did not contribute a goal or an assist, but he played 100 minutes and battled to win the ball back on countless occasions. Liverpool won 1-0, but Jota's tireless performance saw him go down with an injury in the final minute. He would go on to miss the World Cup. With the tournament set to come around again next year, Jota would very likely have finally fulfilled that dream in 2026. That opportunity, along with the far more important chance to experience life as a young father and newlywed, was cruelly snatched from the 28-year-old on Thursday morning when he and his brother, André Silva, died in a car crash in northwestern Spain. Maybe Jota would have avoided the injury against Manchester City if he had stayed out of the difficult tackles. But that is not the kind of player he was. 'The way he played the game was full of this sort of scampering energy. … He would hunt the ball down aggressively, and he'd hunt space down aggressively.' Neil Atkinson, CEO and host of The Anfield Wrap, told CNN Sports' Amanda Davies. Jota's technical gifts – while remarkably apparent at times – were not on the level of those of some of his teammates. But it was that willingness to fight that made him such a popular figure on Merseyside, and the reason why it has been difficult to go to a Liverpool game in the last few years and not hear the crowd's famous song for him. 'They loved that work ethic, that sheer desire, and the fact that he had almost a sense of mischief about him in the manner of his goals as well,' Atkinson said. 'And I think that very much endeared him to the supporters.' The Portuguese international was vocal about his philosophy of hard work on the pitch. 'As a fan – I was a fan myself – you want to see a player fighting for the club, for the badge that they both love,' he said in a video which was released by Liverpool on Thursday following the news of his death. Prev Next But that tenacity was not just limited to his attitude on the field. As a young player struggling for games at one of the biggest clubs in the world – Atlético Madrid – the forward opted to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team which, at that time, was in the Championship, the second tier of English soccer. His bravery was rewarded as he became one of the best players in the team, eventually signing for Liverpool in 2020. It was at Liverpool where Jota appeared to find particular kinship with a city that, like him, has often had to fight. In 1981, after riots began in Liverpool as a result of tensions between police and the Black community, then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was secretly urged by her finance minister, Geoffrey Howe, to pursue a policy of 'managed decline' with reference to the city. According to Howe, spending public money on the city would be like 'trying to make water flow uphill.' Eight years later, when the Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool supporters at an FA Cup semifinal, the city once again felt the brunt of the establishment. Both the local police and some sections of the British media blamed Liverpool fans. Despite tireless campaigning by the victims' families, it would take until 2016 for an inquest to rule that those who died were unlawfully killed and that fan behavior did not cause or contribute to the disaster. Liverpool is a club that has had more than its fair share of tragedy. Less than six weeks ago, a car rammed into a crowd of people at a parade to celebrate the club's Premier League title win, injuring dozens of people, including children. In the face of this latest tragedy Thursday morning, the city will once again come together to grieve. 'The only way to get through this is to get through it together,' Atkinson said. The importance of that collectiveness was echoed by another Liverpool fan, Sally – who did not give her surname when she spoke to CNN Sports' Matias Grez outside Anfield on Thursday. 'You stick together because that's the only way it's going to work,' she said. 'That's the community spirit. It's not just Liverpool, it's Everton as well. Rivalries aside, times like this everyone comes together. It doesn't matter who you support.' Indeed, among the hundreds of scarves, flowers and messages that were left for Jota and his brother outside Anfield, items laid by fans of Everton, Liverpool's local rival, were visible. 'I'm not really a massive one for social media, so I hadn't seen any of what I'm now seeing in front of me,' another supporter, Simon Walker, told CNN in reference to the tributes left at the stadium. 'But I'm not surprised in the slightest because this is how this club and this city operates.' To say that Jota – a man who grew up in a small town outside Porto, 886 miles (1426 kilometers) away – fit well in Liverpool would be an understatement. That affinity extended to some of the less-Portuguese pastimes. In tribute posts on social media, former teammates Andy Robertson and Caoimhín Kelleher both referenced their surprise at Jota's enjoyment of darts and horse racing, with Robertson even jokingly referring to him as 'Diogo MacJota.' 'You could relate to him,' Sally, the Liverpool supporter who spoke to CNN, said Thursday. 'You could tell he was a down-to-earth fella. He was very humble. He wasn't showy-offy. He was just very much a family man. 'I think that's what relates everyone in the city to him, because we're all like a family.' The funeral for the 28-year-old and his brother took place in their hometown of Gondomar on Saturday morning. The pain that their family, Jota's wife and their three children are experiencing far exceeds that of those who marveled from afar at his performances on a soccer pitch. But it is a testament to Jota's spirit and tenacity that Liverpool too is grieving the loss of one of its most beloved sons.
CNN
19 minutes ago
- CNN
Diogo Jota's spirit and tenacity made him the perfect fit for Liverpool, a city that has had to fight
There is a Diogo Jota performance that many Liverpool supporters will remember above all others. In October 2022, with the Reds struggling badly for form, Jota and Co. came up against a Manchester City team that would go on to win a historic treble that season. A month before the 2022 men's World Cup – the tournament Jota later said was 'one of his dreams' to play in – many players might have taken it easy for fear of injuring themselves. Not Jota. The Portuguese forward did not contribute a goal or an assist, but he played 100 minutes and battled to win the ball back on countless occasions. Liverpool won 1-0, but Jota's tireless performance saw him go down with an injury in the final minute. He would go on to miss the World Cup. With the tournament set to come around again next year, Jota would very likely have finally fulfilled that dream in 2026. That opportunity, along with the far more important chance to experience life as a young father and newlywed, was cruelly snatched from the 28-year-old on Thursday morning when he and his brother, André Silva, died in a car crash in northwestern Spain. Maybe Jota would have avoided the injury against Manchester City if he had stayed out of the difficult tackles. But that is not the kind of player he was. 'The way he played the game was full of this sort of scampering energy. … He would hunt the ball down aggressively, and he'd hunt space down aggressively.' Neil Atkinson, CEO and host of The Anfield Wrap, told CNN Sports' Amanda Davies. Jota's technical gifts – while remarkably apparent at times – were not on the level of those of some of his teammates. But it was that willingness to fight that made him such a popular figure on Merseyside, and the reason why it has been difficult to go to a Liverpool game in the last few years and not hear the crowd's famous song for him. 'They loved that work ethic, that sheer desire, and the fact that he had almost a sense of mischief about him in the manner of his goals as well,' Atkinson said. 'And I think that very much endeared him to the supporters.' The Portuguese international was vocal about his philosophy of hard work on the pitch. 'As a fan – I was a fan myself – you want to see a player fighting for the club, for the badge that they both love,' he said in a video which was released by Liverpool on Thursday following the news of his death. Prev Next But that tenacity was not just limited to his attitude on the field. As a young player struggling for games at one of the biggest clubs in the world – Atlético Madrid – the forward opted to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team which, at that time, was in the Championship, the second tier of English soccer. His bravery was rewarded as he became one of the best players in the team, eventually signing for Liverpool in 2020. It was at Liverpool where Jota appeared to find particular kinship with a city that, like him, has often had to fight. In 1981, after riots began in Liverpool as a result of tensions between police and the Black community, then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was secretly urged by her finance minister, Geoffrey Howe, to pursue a policy of 'managed decline' with reference to the city. According to Howe, spending public money on the city would be like 'trying to make water flow uphill.' Eight years later, when the Hillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool supporters at an FA Cup semifinal, the city once again felt the brunt of the establishment. Both the local police and some sections of the British media blamed Liverpool fans. Despite tireless campaigning by the victims' families, it would take until 2016 for an inquest to rule that those who died were unlawfully killed and that fan behavior did not cause or contribute to the disaster. Liverpool is a club that has had more than its fair share of tragedy. Less than six weeks ago, a car rammed into a crowd of people at a parade to celebrate the club's Premier League title win, injuring dozens of people, including children. In the face of this latest tragedy Thursday morning, the city will once again come together to grieve. 'The only way to get through this is to get through it together,' Atkinson said. The importance of that collectiveness was echoed by another Liverpool fan, Sally – who did not give her surname when she spoke to CNN Sports' Matias Grez outside Anfield on Thursday. 'You stick together because that's the only way it's going to work,' she said. 'That's the community spirit. It's not just Liverpool, it's Everton as well. Rivalries aside, times like this everyone comes together. It doesn't matter who you support.' Indeed, among the hundreds of scarves, flowers and messages that were left for Jota and his brother outside Anfield, items laid by fans of Everton, Liverpool's local rival, were visible. 'I'm not really a massive one for social media, so I hadn't seen any of what I'm now seeing in front of me,' another supporter, Simon Walker, told CNN in reference to the tributes left at the stadium. 'But I'm not surprised in the slightest because this is how this club and this city operates.' To say that Jota – a man who grew up in a small town outside Porto, 886 miles (1426 kilometers) away – fit well in Liverpool would be an understatement. That affinity extended to some of the less-Portuguese pastimes. In tribute posts on social media, former teammates Andy Robertson and Caoimhín Kelleher both referenced their surprise at Jota's enjoyment of darts and horse racing, with Robertson even jokingly referring to him as 'Diogo MacJota.' 'You could relate to him,' Sally, the Liverpool supporter who spoke to CNN, said Thursday. 'You could tell he was a down-to-earth fella. He was very humble. He wasn't showy-offy. He was just very much a family man. 'I think that's what relates everyone in the city to him, because we're all like a family.' The funeral for the 28-year-old and his brother took place in their hometown of Gondomar on Saturday morning. The pain that their family, Jota's wife and their three children are experiencing far exceeds that of those who marveled from afar at his performances on a soccer pitch. But it is a testament to Jota's spirit and tenacity that Liverpool too is grieving the loss of one of its most beloved sons.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Josh Giddey Reflects On Incredible Half-Court Game-Winning Buzzer-Beater Against Lakers
Josh Giddey Reflects On Incredible Half-Court Game-Winning Buzzer-Beater Against Lakers originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey delivered one of the best moments of the 2024-25 NBA season back on March 27. Giddey hit a half-court game-winning buzzer-beater against the Los Angeles Lakers to cap off a sensational comeback win for the Bulls, and he reflected on that shot on the Ball Magnets podcast. Advertisement "The shot obviously gets a lot of attention, but we were down like nine points with 15 seconds left," Giddey said. "And there was a lot that had to go right to lead up to that shot going in. And we went up, and then Austin Reaves hit that layup with three seconds left. "We had no timeouts and I tried to get the ball into Coby [White] quick, [but] they denied him," Giddey continued. "I threw it to [Patrick Williams], and he was kind of stuck awkwardly on the sideline. So, I started trailing the play, and he threw it back to me, and the best shot ... I could get was from where I shot it. "If I had kept dribbling, the clock probably would have ran out," Giddey added. "So, I just let it fly, and luckily it went in. While luck did play a factor, Giddey stated he felt like the shot was going in when the ball left his hands. Advertisement "That's kind of why I held my follow-through and kept walking," Giddey stated. "Because when it left my fingertips, it felt good." Here is Giddey's incredible shot. Just a few days before this clash, the Bulls had blown out the Lakers 146-114 at Arena on March 22. The Lakers had revenge on their minds for the rematch and seemed set to come away with an easy win when they led by 18 points early in the fourth quarter. A Bulls comeback seemed highly improbable, but a 32-15 run saw them cut the Lakers' lead to 111-110 with under a minute remaining. Austin Reaves would push the lead back to three, and Giddey then missed a floater, which seemed to seal the Bulls' fate. Advertisement Reaves would hit both his free throws on the next play to push the lead to five with 12.1 seconds remaining. The Lakers looked to have averted disaster, but things would go horribly wrong from then on. LeBron James left Patrick Williams open for a three-pointer, and he drilled it from the corner. Giddey would then steal James' inbounds pass, and Coby White hit another three to give the Bulls the lead. Reaves then scored again with 3.1 seconds remaining, which set the stage for Giddey's memorable shot. With time winding down, the Australian let it fly from half-court over James and drilled it. It was a night that Giddey will never forget, and James won't either, but for all the wrong reasons. Giddey finished with 25 points (8-19 FG), 14 rebounds, 11 assists, and two steals against the Lakers. It was one of the 22-year-old's best performances of the season, and it was part of a very promising stretch of play from him. Advertisement Giddey averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game for the Bulls after the All-Star break. He was very efficient, too, shooting 50% from the field and 45.7% from beyond the arc. The timing of that stretch was quite ideal for Giddey. He is a restricted free agent and, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Joe Cowley, wants a contract worth around $30 million a year from the Bulls. Related: Chet Holmgren On Josh Giddey Getting Traded To The Bulls: "I Was F***ing Hurt... That's Our Dog" This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
