Photo by Sandra Montanez/Getty Images
Real Madrid took down Borussia Dortmund last night and earned a place in the semifinal of the FIFA Club World Cup in a game that really came to life in the final ten minutes.
With the score 2-0 in Los Blancos’ favour in the 90th minute, it ended 3-2 in their favour after extra-time and it is clear that the added time was, by far, the most nerve-wracking period.
Gonzalo Garcia, Fran Garcia, and Kylian Mbappe were on the scoreboard for Los Blancos while Sergio Guirassy and Maximilian Beier scored the consolation goals for the opponents.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Real Madrid 3-2 Borussia Dortmund.
A lot has been said about Gonzalo Garcia in recent weeks, especially after his breakout performances at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Game after game, the youngster has shown that he belongs at the highest level and that his flourish is no coincidence but a result of his talent and hard work.
After scoring the winner for Los Blancos against Juventus, he again found the back of the net in the quarterfinal last night against Borussia Dortmund to take his numbers to four goals and an assist in the competition.
The Garcia duo was on the scoresheet against Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
While Kylian Mbappe did come on and score, Garcia is simply giving the manager no reason to drop him, and the fact that he is benching Mbappe itself is a testament to the quality he is showing.
Yet, Gonzalo was not the only Garcia who has impressed in this event, for Fran Garcia has equally upped his game and last night was a perfect example of how the player has evolved.
The left-back scored one goal for the men in white in his 90 minutes on the field, completed nine defensive actions, created one big chance, and racked up a key pass playing on the left side.
In Ferland Mendy’s absence, Garcia has only proved why he is superior to his competitors and now puts a massive question mark on Los Blancos’ pursuit of Alvaro Carreras.
After all, his performances do not give the manager any reason to consider a change.
Real Madrid’s win over Dortmund takes them one step closer to the FIFA Club World Cup title and leaves them as strong contenders to take home the bragging rights.
With just four teams now left in the competition, the men in white can well go on to win the tournament if they can continue playing the brand of football they have shown so far.
Real Madrid will face PSG in CWC semi-final. (Photo by Sandra Montanez/Getty Images)
Ironically, however, their biggest test will be in the semifinal and not the final given how the draw has placed matters.
Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain locked horns in the other quarterfinal on Real Madrid’s side of the draw and it was eventually the French side who came out on top on a night that was marred by Jamal Musiala’s freak injury.
Los Blancos now face off against the European champions in the semifinal and will face either Chelsea or Palmeiras in the final of the competition should they progress. Needless to say, the winner of Real Madrid-PSG will be the favourite to take home the title.
Real Madrid’s night was seemingly perfect until a very eventful extra time stole the show and left serious complications in the Merengues’ result.
With a comfortable 2-0 lead in the bag, Alonso’s men were set to take home the win. However, Dortmund’s relentless pressure helped them steal one goal back in the 92nd minute.
Real Madrid need to avoid defensive errors. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Kylian Mbappe then scored in the 94th minute and Dortmund again pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 98th minute. In between the two aforementioned goals, however, Dean Huijsen received his marching orders for a last-man foul.
With a 3-1 scoreline in Real Madrid’s favour and just a few minutes left to play, it was quite unnecessary for the youngster to dive into a last-man challenge for the result was all but in the bag.
His red card now means that he will be unavailable for the team’s semifinal against PSG which is a massive blow. After all, he has been the team’s best defender through the competition.
Xabi Alonso now has a dilemma on his hands, for the centre-back pairing against PSG will be crucial.
Raul Asencio is the first option who comes to mind but the youngster was dreadful in his few minutes in the competition. Rudiger too was far from impressive last night and Huijsen’s dismissal, thus, may prove to have massive implications.
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images
Real Madrid will take to the field at the MetLife Stadium later today in the quarterfinal of the FIFA Club World Cup and the stakes will be sky high.
The men in white have looked good under Xabi Alonso, resilient in defence, creative through the middle of the park and efficient in attack. Their lacuna, however, has largely been their conversion rate in front of the goal which could have been significantly better.
Going up against the German giants, Real Madrid will look to play their best football and move a step closer to being the first FIFA Club World Cup champions in history, especially after the format change.
Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund are no strangers to Xabi Alonso for the Real Madrid manager faced them many a time in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen before he left for the Spanish capital.
His record against the Signal Iduna Park-based side, however, is anything but impressive and it is safe to say it is one of his worst records against any team as a manager.
Alonso oversaw seven games for Leverkusen against Dortmund but only won on one occasion. Two of the remaining games ended in draws while the final two ended in defeats. His only win over Dortmund came last season but he notably lost to them in the same campaign.
Previous records are seldom much to go by, and further irrelevant when a manager has changed his club for a superior squad quality.
However, it is highly possible that Alonso himself has it as a mental hurdle to get past, especially given that he is relatively early into his senior coaching career.
The last time Real Madrid and Dortmund faced off, Los Blancos quickly went 2-0 down but fought back in the second half to score five goals and win the game. It was, in fact, one of the team’s best performances under Carlo Ancelotti last term.
Alonso will hope for the team to pull off a similar result tonight to help him change his record against the German side. He may not be affected by the record itself, but breaking that curse will undoubtedly come as a great liberation and testament to his work at Real Madrid.
Mbappe is back. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Kylian Mbappe is well and truly back from his gastroenteritis, and while the infection did significantly affect his health and fitness, he is back in complete training and even made his debut under Xabi Alonso against Juventus.
Despite Mbappe coming on the field for close to half an hour, however, it was Gonzalo Garcia who stole the show for Real Madrid once more as the breakout academy star continued his impressive run of form at the FIFA Club World Cup.
It was the young striker, after all, who scored Real Madrid’s winning goal on the night to send the team through to the quarterfinal. The goal, in fact, took his numbers to a staggering three goals and one assist in just four games in the competition.
Ahead of the clash against Dortmund, Alonso has a decision to make over who starts in attack and he will have to choose between Garcia and Mbappe.
The Frenchman will quite clearly be the preferred choice given that he is a global icon and one of the best players in the world. Garcia, however, boasts of better match fitness, consistency and form at the moment and dropping him would appear highly unfair.
A third option for the manager would be to start both players and bench Vinicius, but the central presence of both players will be a hindrance.
Moreover, dropping the Brazilian just when he is recovering his form will only be a blow to his improvement and rejuvenation. Alonso, thus, has a massive decision to make.
As is the case in any knockout competition, Real Madrid’s opponents are only getting more difficult with each passing round.
Having faced Juventus in the Round of 16, after a relatively easy group stage run, the men in white are now set to face a bigger opponent in Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinal.
Should they progress, the challenges only get more difficult with either Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich awaiting in the semifinal.
Facing the Bavarians or the defending European champions, needless to say, will be a far bigger test for Real Madrid than anything they have faced so far in the competition and the margin for error will be as close to zero as humanly possible.
Tonight’s game, thus, is massive for the men in white as it gives them a chance to prepare for the bigger challenges that lie ahead.
A thumping win over Dortmund will not only give them a place in the final four but also the confidence they need ahead of a crucial potential semifinal fixture.