Real flirt with disaster late on to set up PSG semi at Club World Cup
East Rutherford, New Jersey
Real Madrid outlasted Borussia Dortmund 3-2 after a dramatic finale on Saturday to set up an intriguing Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Gonzalo Garcia opened the scoring in the 10th minute and Fran Garcia got the second 10 minutes later as Real were in full control.
But it was not over until plenty of stoppage time drama with three goals, a red card for Real's Dean Huijsen, and a mega save from Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois on the last play of the match.
Maximilian Beier pulled one back for Dortmund completely out of the blue, Kylian Mabappe's artistic volley made it 3-1, Serhou Guirassy converted a penalty to give Dortmund hope again after being pulled down by Huijsen which resulted in the red card.
Courtois then made an extraordinary save against Marcel Sabitzer to preserve the victory.
New Real coach Xabi Alonso had brought on France captain Mbappe and Croatian veteran Luka Modric late in the game amid big cheers from the fans.
Dortmund came close but Real advanced into the final four which on Wednesday at the same venue will be a duel between the record Champions League winners from Spain and the reigning champions in the elite event from France. PSG beat Bayern Munich 2-0 earlier Saturday.
'It a great challenge for us to play PSG. We are positive from today and move on to the next one,' Alonso told streaming portal DAZN.
Looking at the match, he added: 'It was under control with the result and not conceding much, but the last 10 minutes were crazy. We lost our shape and intensity.'
Dortmund defender Waldemar Anton said: 'We tried after the first goal and didn't give up. I already saw the last ball in.
'A 3-3 would have been lucky. We didn't do well in the first half. We conceded too easy and had too much respect. It was a little better in 2nd half.'
Alonso fielded the same 11 that started in the quarter-final against Juventus while Dortmund's Niko Kovac made two changes.
Julian Brandt came on for Jobe Bellingham, whose suspension ruled out a of brothers against Real's Jude Bellingham, who in the past also played in Dortmund.
The Germans had an early chance from Brandt's header which went wide but Real soon took control and took the lead in the 10th minute when Gonzalo Garcia volleyed in Arda Güler's pass.
It got worse for Dortmund when a cross from the right by Trent Alexander-Arnold found the other full back Fran Garcia to drill home for 2-0.
Bellingham shot wide in the 26th and Vinicius Junior chipped over with Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel stranded far outside of his goal shortly before half-time.
Real were not quite as dominant after the break but Dortmund also lacked in attack to find a way back into the match.
Aurelien Tchouameni rattled the crossbar but a goal would not have counted because Vinicius Junior was offside in the build-up.
Güler aimed inches wide in stoppage time and Antonio Rüdiger poked wide as well as Real appeared to head to an easy win - until all the drama unfolded late on.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
10 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Arsenal sign Spain midfielder Zubimendi
PA Media/dpa London Arsenal have signed midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad. The Spain international, 26, moves to the Emirates Stadium on a long-term deal after the Gunners reportedly triggered his £51 million ($70 million) release clause. Euro 2024 winner Zubimendi had previously been a target for Liverpool and was also linked with Real Madrid. Zubimendi told the club website: 'This is a huge moment in my career. It's the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. 'I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come.' Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is confident Zubimendi can help reinforce his midfield options, having seen Thomas Partey's contract expire and Jorginho also leave the club. 'Martin is a player who will bring a huge amount of quality and football intelligence to our team. He will fit in really well and he has all the attributes to be a key player for us,' Arteta said. 'The standard he has consistently performed at over the last few seasons for both club and country is exactly why we are so excited to have him with us. We all welcome Martin and his family to the club.' A graduate of the Sociedad academy system, Zubimendi made 236 appearances for the club in all competitions at senior level and helped the team lift the delayed 2019-20 Copa del Rey with victory over Athletic Bilbao. He was also involved as Sociedad finished fourth in the 2022-23 season - their highest league finish - to reach the Champions League for only the third time in their history. The midfielder has been capped 19 times by Spain, where he was part of the squad who won the Nations League in 2023 and became European champions last year after beating England in the final. Zubimendi becomes Arsenal's second signing this summer after goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga joined from Chelsea. The Gunners are also expected to complete the signing of Christian Norgaard, with the Brentford captain looking set to join for a reported £10 million with a potential £5 million of add-ons.
Qatar Tribune
10 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Klinsmann wants Muller to continue in US
dpa Berlin Thomas Muller should continue his career in Major League Soccer after the end of his 25 years at Bayern Munich, former Bayern player and coach Jürgen Klinsmann has said. Muller, 35, is yet to decide on his future after his trophy-laden Bayern career ended on Saturday when Bayern lost their Club World Cup quarter-final 2-0 against Paris Saint-Germain in Atlanta. Muller come on for the final 10 minutes for his 756th first team match, almost 17 years after he got his first Bundesliga start in August 2008 under then coach Klinsmann, who integrated him into the first team from the reserves. Klinsmann, who has been living in California for many years and was also US national team coach, said in a column for Kicker sports magazine that he hopes Muller will take the plunge into MLS. 'I wish that he continues for a few more years, and of course that he includes the US adventure in his considerations,' Klinsmann said. 'He has everything to give football in the US another push, like Lionel Messi and Marco Reus as well are doing.' Messi plays for Inter Miami and Germany's Reus for Los Angeles Galaxy. LA could also be a destination for Muller in the form of Los Angeles FC who are said to be interested in the 2014 World Cup winner. 'He would surely have a lot of joy, and of course I hope that in this case it would preferably draw him to Los Angeles,' Klinsmann said. Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeness meanwhile expressed scepticism about a possible US move for Muller. 'I always said that it would be better for him to retire. But if he really wants to do it then he should,' Hoeness told reporters on Saturday in Munich. Hoeness agreed that the MLS has improved in quality but warned that 'when you have played at Bayern and then in Los Angeles - it is not the same thing.' Muller said on Saturday he was 'aware that it was the last match' but that there was no decision yet. 'You have to process the events first. I'm still fully in work mode. Everything else will come gradually,' he said. One scenario is however out of the question, staying at Bayern because of Jamal Musiala's severe leg injury sustained on Saturday.
Qatar Tribune
10 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Chelsea's Cucurella relishing Thiago Silva reunion at CWC
PA Media/dpa Philadelphia Chelsea's Marc Cucurella is looking forward to doing battle with former team-mate Thiago Silva for a place in the Club World Cup final. Evergreen defender Thiago, who left Chelsea last summer, is still producing impressive performances at the age of 40 for current club Fluminense. The two clubs meet in the semi-finals of this summer's global tournament in New York on Tuesday. Fellow defender Cucurella said: 'We've watched some of their games. They have very good players, they are very determined and they have Thiago Silva. 'He's a legend of football, a top player. He's only played for big clubs and texted me before the (quarter-final) game saying, 'Let's go, hopefully we can see you in a couple of days'. I texted him saying, 'Let's go!' 'We have the opportunity to play against him again and hopefully we can do good things and win this game and play in the final which is what we want to do.' Thiago is one of the great Brazilian defenders of his era and enjoyed an accomplished four-year spell with Chelsea in what was thought to be the twilight of his career after being released by Paris St Germain in 2020. His successes included Champions League glory in 2021 - a victory which earned Chelsea their place in the Club World Cup - and he remains a popular figure at Stamford Bridge.
