The field has spoken: it is Real Madrid, thanks to their 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, that becomes the fourth semifinalist of the Club World Cup. A victory achieved at the end of a well-managed...
The field has spoken: it is Real Madrid, thanks to their 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, that becomes the fourth semifinalist of the Club World Cup.
A victory achieved at the end of a well-managed 90 minutes, but with an absolutely crazy finale. After a dangerous start by the Germans with Brandt close to scoring, Real took control: in the 10th minute, Gonzalo Garcia opened the scoring with a splendid strike assisted by Arda Güler.
Ten minutes later, Fran Garcia doubled the lead, this time served by Alexander-Arnold. In the second half, Dortmund changed their approach with three substitutions and found more offensive brilliance. Beier reduced the deficit in the 93rd minute, but Mbappé immediately responded with a masterpiece overhead kick. Guirassy made it 3-2 with a penalty (red card for Huijsen), and only a miraculous save by Courtois on Sabitzer avoided extra time. Real advances to the semifinals, where they will face PSG.
🎯 Arda Güler, the brain and genius of the white midfield
He was the true beacon of Real Madrid's play: Arda Güler delivered a textbook performance against Borussia Dortmund, earning the title of Player of the Match. The Turkish talent recorded 78 touches, 2 assists, 2/3 accurate crosses, 2/2 successful long balls, and an incredible 95.5% passing accuracy (65 out of 68).
🌟 | Player of the match
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) July 5, 2025
Arda Güler v Borussia Dortmund:
👌 78 touches
🅰️ 2 assists
↩️ 2/3 accurate crosses
🔭 2/2 accurate long balls
👟 65/68 accurate passes
⚔️ 2/3 duels won
🦵 2 tackles
📈 8.3 Sofascore Rating
He just can’t stop impressing at #FIFACWC! 🇹🇷💫 pic.twitter.com/zQApGg0NBo
He completed 9 passes in the offensive third, took 3 shots, won 2 tackles, and recovered possession twice, in addition to creating 2 great chances. A complete performance, full of intelligence, rhythm, and personality, which broke the game open and confirmed his impact in major events.
📊 Real clinical and lethal: the numbers say it all
At the end of a very tight match, Real Madrid was able to assert their efficiency in front of goal. Los Blancos finished with 15 total shots, 8 on target, compared to the Germans' 12 (5 on target). The ability to create real threats was decisive: 5 big chances created against Dortmund's single one.
🗺️ | Real Madrid will face PSG!
— Sofascore Football (@SofascoreINT) July 5, 2025
• Shots (on target): 15 (8) – 12 (5)
• Big chances: 5 – 1
• Touches in pen. area: 21 – 25
• Possession: 49% – 51%
After plenty of injury-time action, Los Blancos have beaten Dortmund for the third time in just over a year to go through to the… pic.twitter.com/my8DjwQrlJ
The data on touches in the area is interesting: 21 for Real, 25 for Dortmund, demonstrating how Kovac's team pushed at the end. Ball possession was almost balanced (49% to 51%), but it is Real, with their third victory over Dortmund in just over a year, that flies to the Club World Cup semifinals.
🚀 Gonzalo Garcia: Golden Boot numbers of the tournament
With the goal in the 10th minute against Dortmund, Gonzalo García has reached 4 goals in 5 appearances in the Club World Cup, joining Angel Di Maria and Marcos Leonardo at the top of the scorers' list.
5 - @realmadriden's Gonzalo García is the only player to directly contribute to a goal in all of his team's matches (5) in this year's @FIFACWC (4 goals, 1 assist). Update. 🚨 https://t.co/5M9IEG7k5a
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) July 5, 2025
At 21 years old, the young Real forward is strongly positioning himself for the top scorer title and, why not, the Golden Boot of the tournament. But there's more: García is the only player to have scored or assisted in all of Real's matches in this edition (4 goals, 1 assist). A frightening consistency for a player who, match after match, is leading Los Blancos towards the world title.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.
📸 PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA - AFP or licensors
Category: General Sports