Kylian Mbappé’s spectacular bicycle kick was one of three goals scored in second-half stoppage time, as Real Madrid triumphed over Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the Club World Cup quarter-finals yesterday, setting up a semi-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Dortmund’s Maximilian Beier found the net three minutes into stoppage time, but Mbappé, who had entered the fray in the 67th minute, restored Madrid’s two-goal lead with his stunning effort just a minute later.
Serhou Guirassy converted a penalty kick in the eighth minute of added time after being fouled by Dean Huijsen, who received a red card and will miss the semi-finals as a result.
In a dramatic conclusion, Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois used his fingertips to parry away Marcel Sabitzer’s shot, which could have resulted in an equaliser, on the final play of the match.
Real Madrid will now shift their focus to Mbappé’s former club, PSG, who defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 to secure their place in the semi-finals. The winners of the match will face either Fluminense or Chelsea in the final.
“We were performing very well, and the match seemed under control.
but then things got chaotic in the last 10 minutes,” Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso told DAZN.
“We lost a bit of our focus and intensity when we didn’t have the ball, and fortunately, nothing further happened. Overall, we had a strong 80 minutes, but there are lessons to be learned from the final 10.”
On a sunny afternoon, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), Gonzalo García opened the scoring in the 10th minute, followed by Fran García doubling the lead in the 20th.
Gonzalo García, a 21-year-old who had made only five appearances in La Liga over the past two seasons, was given the nod by new Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso ahead of Mbappé, who is still regaining his fitness after suffering from acute gastroenteritis. García has now scored four goals, tying him with Benfica’s Ángel Di María and Al Hilal’s Marcos Leonardo for the tournament lead.
“We’ve seen him play in the last few games, and today he delivered once again. He is making the most of this opportunity,” Alonso remarked.
“I believe he is in the right place at the right time, and we are very pleased with the work he is doing – and he is also scoring goals.”
Mbappé replaced Jude Bellingham, who missed the chance to play against his brother Jobe, suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Madrid had previously defeated Dortmund 2-0 in the 2024 Champions League final and overturned a two-goal deficit to achieve a 5-2 victory in this season’s league phase.
