Real Madrid continued its dominance over Borussia Dortmund with a thrilling 3-2 victory in the Club World Cup quarterfinal held at MetLife Stadium. With this victory, Real Madrid has now topped Dortmund in five straight matches. Their stingy showing against the German club has been a welcome sight after a disappointing loss in the 2014 Champions League semifinals. The match attracted an impressive crowd of 76,611 fans, who witnessed a display of skill and determination from both teams.
Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia opened the scoring in the 10th minute, putting the Spanish giants on top early. Only ten minutes would pass before Fran Garcia doubled the lead with a perfectly placed goal in the 20th minute. Dortmund was a challenge and came back with a purpose, proving they were hungry to make up some lost ground.
Kylian Mbappe, freshly recovered from his bout with acute gastroenteritis, was a difference-maker in the second half. The forward scored a spectacular bicycle kick during stoppage time, contributing to a remarkable comeback that saw Real Madrid net three goals in the closing minutes of the match. This late surge not only won the match, but put Mbappe’s key role in the team’s offensive strategy on full display.
Thibaut Courtois was an absolute wall for Real Madrid, making key saves all game long. Even after a man-of-the-match performance retreated into stoppage time, he had mastered one last decisive defensive act. Standing extra large at 200 cm (6 ft 7 in), he fingered over a thunderous drive from Marcel Sabitzer, preserving his team’s clean sheet.
Head coach Xabi Alonso went out on a limb by playing Gonzalo Garcia ahead of Mbappe. That judgement call has been repaid in dividends. Garcia now leads the tournament on four goals, along side Angel Di María of Benfica and Marcos Leonardo of Al Hilal. Whatever strategy Alonso had has evidently paid off as Real Madrid is still showing its strength on the world stage.
Real Madrid wins again, extending their absurd domination of Dortmund. That’s how long they’ve stayed undefeated in their last seven encounters since that Famous Champions League Quarterfinal of two-thousand fourteen. Earlier this season, they overcame a two-goal halftime deficit to secure a 5-2 victory against the same opponents during the league phase.
