The club world championship in the United States goes to its last week without German participation. Xabi Alonsos Real Madrid performed Borussia Dortmund in the quarter -finals in East Rutherford near Manhattan at 3: 2 (2: 0) in the first half for over 20 minutes – that was ultimately enough for progress, even if it was turbulent again in the end.
“We didn't give up, this is a good characteristic,” said national player Waldemar Anton at the streaming provider DAZN: “In the end it was an incredible parade, I saw it in there. We had too much respect in the first half. But it counts that we had the mentality.”
Previously, FC Bayern had failed to win Champions League Paris Saint-Germain (0: 2). A few hours later, the BVB in its first game with a real World Cup atmosphere in front of a good 76,611 spectators from the start. Gonzalo García (10th minute) and Fran García (20th) shot the Alonso team early on the winning road in the huge Metlife stadium. The audience, almost only from international Madrid fans, was delighted. In a wild stoppage time, BVB was still able to hit the connection from the substitute Maximilian Beier (90.+2) before Kylian Mbappé scored 3-1 shortly afterwards.
Real meets Paris in the semi -finals
Serhou Guirassy then hit the final score (90.+8) after Real's Dean Huijsen brought the goal scorer down and saw the red card for an emergency brake. After that, Marcel Sabitzer even had the great chance to equalize. His shot from twelve meters was repelled with a sensation parade by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois with his right hand. Then the Belgian celebrated himself – and the referee whistled.
Madrid thus moves into the semi-finals against Paris and receives another $ 21 million (17.8 million euros). The Dortmund, on the other hand, fly home with a total of over $ 53 million (45 million euros) in FIFA price money immediately after the game. For the BVB professionals, it is now on vacation again for at least two weeks, because little worked against Real without the yellow-locked Jobe Bellingham. In his first game as a real coach against a German team, Alonso hardly had to intervene from the sidelines.
“Of course I know Dortmund very well, but that doesn't work. This is a new game,” said the Leverkusen master coach from 2024 before. In fact, the favorite went according to plan because the Dortmund defense always acted too incomplete. Alonso discovering García consistently used this after ten minutes. The 21-year-old scored his fourth World Cup goal in the fifth game because opponent Anton did not pay attention and had previously not prevented a soulful flank from Arda Güler. The previously fell ill with Star Mbappé was only on the bench again.
Sabitzer played surprisingly from the start for Felix Nmecha. “Today we also need a clear compactness, a clear six. And for me the Sabi is more the one who holds the position more than the Felix,” Kovac explained this before the game at DAZN.
In view of the high temperatures on Saturday afternoon (local time) in New Jersey, the BVB coach also hoped for ball possession phases, “because you also need the ball in the heat”. In fact, his team only ran afterwards. Just ten minutes after the deficit, Fran García increased to 2-0. This time the entire Dortmund defense refused to defend it.
As in the bullfighting arena, the BVB professionals performed Real, the audience roared “Olé” and the Dortmund were amazed at every ball contact. Afterwards Real spared the forces at 30 degrees and actually left the BVB the ball, which, however, could do almost nothing.
Kovac set a sign again during the break and changed triple: NMECHA, YAN Couto and Maximilian Beier came for Pascal Groß, Niklas Süle and Karim Adeyemi. This hardly changed anything on the game. Beier brought some fresh wind, but overall Dortmund remained harmless and real did no more than necessary before a wild final phase followed.
Another highlight of the second half was the substitution of Luka Modric. The 39-year-old balloon d'Or winner from 2018 will leave the Madrilenen after the club World Cup and 13 years.