Real Madrid edge Dortmund in wild finish to reach Club World Cup semi-final

|By Babatunji Wusu-

-Xabi Alonso admits final moments were ‘crazy’ after commanding 80 minutes
-Huijsen sees red as Guirassy’s late penalty adds tension in dramatic 3-2 win

Real Madrid advanced to the semi-final of the FIFA Club World Cup after surviving a frantic final stretch to defeat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in the quarter-final on Saturday night.

The Spanish champions looked firmly in control for much of the match, with goals from Gonzalo Garcia and Fran Garcia giving them a comfortable 2-0 lead. But the tide shifted in the final ten minutes as Dortmund clawed their way back into the contest in dramatic fashion.

Maximilian Beier ignited the comeback with a clinical strike, before Kylian Mbappe, making his tournament debut, volleyed in his first goal to level the score.

The chaos didn’t end there. Real Madrid’s defender Dean Huijsen was shown a straight red card, reducing the side to ten men. Moments later, Serhou Guirassy calmly converted a penalty for Dortmund, but it proved too little too late as Madrid held on for the win.

Reacting to the nerve-wracking finish, Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso told DAZN:
“Everything was under control with the result, not conceding much, but the last 10 minutes were kind of crazy. We lost a bit of our shape and intensity. Luckily nothing went through, but overall a good 80 minutes and the last 10 minutes to improve.”

The result sets up a highly anticipated semi-final clash for Madrid, but Alonso knows his team must address their late-game lapses to maintain their title hopes.