Real Madrid C.F. are the fourth and final team to book their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC) semi-finals, easing past Borussia Dortmund 3-2 to secure a 14th win from their last 15 CWC games.
Real Madrid have been warming to the task at the CWC and under new boss Xabi Alonso, and they made the perfect start to their quarter-final tie. Arda Güler was afforded too much space down the Madrid left and he floated a perfect cross onto the boot of Gonzalo García, who volleyed the Spanish side into the lead from six yards with his fourth goal of the tournament. There was no stopping Alonso’s men in the opening stages, and they doubled their advantage after 20 minutes when their two wing backs combined, with Fran García weeping home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross at the far post.
Dortmund were pushing their luck throughout the opening 45 minutes, and two audacious efforts from Vinicius Junior almost placed the game beyond them. Twice he spotted Gregor Kobel off his line, but twice his 40-yard strikes were unsuccessful in lobbing the Dortmund stopper, but they served as a huge warning sign for the German outfit. Niko Kovač’s men were never likely to be underestimated by Madrid given they’d won nine of their last ten in all competitions, but they were being stifled by Los Blancos and showing few signs of being able to make a recovery.