Real Madrid had a home match away from home in front of a sea of white shirts inside MetLife Stadium, dispatching Borussia Dortmund 3-2 to advance to the Semifinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Two early goals from Gonzalo García and Fran García set the tone for what was a dominant performance from the Spanish side, as Dortmund seemingly had no answers for the persistent threat Madrid posed going forward, particularly on the counter.
Despite a Maximilian Beier strike in the 92nd minute making the game interesting by bringing Dortmund within one, a wonder strike from substitute Kylian Mbappé just moments later sealed the game. It gave Madrid the cushion to win the game despite a stoppage-time collapse that saw center-back Dean Huijsen earn a red card and Dortmund's Serhou Guirassy convert a penalty.
Mbappé's game-winner set up a grudge match with his former side, Paris Saint-Germain, at MetLife this Wednesday.
Real Madrid: 15 shots, 8 shots on target, 48% possession, 430 passes, 87% pass accuracy, 10 fouls, 3 corners, 3 saves
Dortmund: 12 shots, 5 shots on target, 52% possession,
486 passes, 92% pass accuracy, 6 fouls, 3 corners, 5 saves
Goals:
• Real Madrid, Gonzalo Garcia, 9'
• Real Madrid, Fran Garcia, 20'
• Dortmund, Maximilian Beier, 90+2'
• Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe, 90+4'
• Dortmund, Seyhou Guirassy, 90+8' (Pen)
Attendance: 71,611
García(s) at the double
In the hours leading up to kickoff, it was clear the crowd was going to be on Real Madrid's side. The majority of the nearly 72,000 spectators, all wearing the famous white strip of the historic Madrid outfit, filled nearly every seat inside the venue that will host the final two rounds of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and that will host the title game for the 2026 FIFA World Cup next year. It was as if the match were being played inside the Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid took hold of the match early and did not let go until the final whistle.
Gonzalo Garcia breaks the deadlock early | Courtesy DAZN
Gonzalo García, the breakout star of the summer for Madrid, found the back of the net within the opening 10 minutes, firing home a smooth side-volley from the center of the box after getting on the end of an excellent cross from midfielder Arda Güler. It was the Spaniard's fourth goal of the FIFA Club World Cup. The 21-year-old spent most of the year with Real Madrid Castilla Club de Fútbol, the club's reserve team, but he started all five matches in the tournament thus far as Mbappé returned to fitness following a bout with illness.
Xabi Alonso's men would continue piling on the pressure, weathering a short spell of Dortmund possession before springing on the counterattack. It wouldn't be long before Madrid extended the lead, this time through Fran García.
Fran Garcia doubles the lead for Real Madrid after 20 minutes. Cred: DAZN
The unlikely hero is a left-back with just one goal for Madrid before Saturday's contest, but who drove forward before getting on the end of a low-driven cross from new signing Trent Alexander-Arnold.
It was the second assist of the tournament for the former Liverpool man, who made the switch to Real Madrid this summer via a free transfer. It's been an emotional week for the Englishmen, in light of the tragic passing of Liverpool and Portugal forward, Diogo Jota. But it was as if the 2025 Nations League champion was looking down on the game, as Alexander-Arnold's assist came in the 20th minute, the same number that Jota wore for the Reds.
Oliver Strand
Michael Battista
Dortmund leaves it too late
Despite the stats painting a more balanced side of the story, Dortmund struggled mightily when attempting to threaten the Real Madrid defense. They went scoreless for the entire 90 minutes of regulation before making the contest interesting by turning on the heat in stoppage time.
Attacking midfielders Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi failed to make any considerable impact on the match. Brant mustered up just three shots, none of which hit the target, and created just one chance. Adeyemi didn't fare much better, failing to register a single shot or chance created, while failing to complete a single dribble. As a duo, the German internationals combined for just five total touches inside the Real Madrid penalty area.
As a team, Dortmund looked off the pace from the opening few minutes, producing just three shots in the first half, with only one finding the target. When you're down 2-0, you can't get back into a game if you don't create and take chances.
Maximilian Beier pulls Dortmund within one in stoppage time | Courtesy DAZN
The trend continued until late in the second half, when a poor clearance from Madrid center-back Antonio Rudiger fell to the feet of Dortmund's Maximilian Beier. The 22-year-old Dortmund attacker fired a shot from the edge of the box in the 92nd minute that sliced past Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to give the German side a goal, and a glimmer of hope.
Matthew Mangam
Megha Gupta
Late drama and Mbappé magic
But any Dortmund optimism was crushed shortly thereafter through an outrageous strike from Mbappé. The striker came off the bench to steal the show, sealing the win with an incredible bicycle kick in the 94th minute for his 44th goal of the season.
Kylian Mbappe seals the win with an emphatic bicycle kick. Cred: DAZN
After missing the first three matches of this summer's tournament due to illness, Mbappé has been coming on as a second-half substitute while he returns to full fitness.
Despite only featuring on the pitch for 32 minutes this afternoon, the Frenchman made a cameo appearance to remember, bringing most of the 72,000 fans in attendance to their feet and holding up the number 20 up to the sideline camera in tribute to Jota.
The game looked done and dusted, with just one minute left to play in stoppage time. But that's when the match took another turn for the dramatic, as Madrid's Huijsen was shown a straight red card in the 96th minute for dragging down Dortmund's Guirassy in the box.
Dean Huijsen sees red after a clumsy challenge in the box. Cred: DAZN.
The defender, who was signed from Premier League side Bournemouth for $62 million this May, will now miss the Semifinal match on Wednesday vs Paris Saint-Germain — who themselves saw two of their defenders, Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández, receive straight cards in their 2-0 Quarterfinal win over Bayern Munich in Atlanta.
Guirassy was awarded a penalty and converted from the spot to bring the score to 3-2. Dortmund fashioned one final chance to send the game into extra time when Marcel Sabitzer forced a vintage diving stop from Courtois at his near post. Courtois spilled the ball wide, bailing out Madrid from what would've been a late-game collapse for the ages.
In the end, Real Madrid did enough to advance to the Semifinal stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup — and earn another $21 million on top of the estimated $63 million the club already banked for making it this far.
Expect another massive crowd on Wednesday afternoon, as Mbappé returns to face his former side for the first time since making the switch from Paris to Madrid on a free transfer last summer. The winner of that game will face either Chelsea FC or Fluminense FC in the Final on Sunday, July 13 at 3 pm ET.
Oliver Strand
Oliver Strand
• Dortmund, Pascal Gross, yellow card, foul 38′
• Dortmund, Yan Couto, yellow card, foul 63′
• Real Madrid, Dean Huijsen, yellow card, foul 90+6'
• Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé, yellow card, dissent 90+8'
Officials
• Referee: Ramon Abatti
• Assistant referees: Danilo Manis, Rafael Alves
• Fourth official: Cristián Garay
• VAR: Nicolás Gallo
• Assistant VAR: Guillermo Pacheco
