โฐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
Real Madrid C.F. ๐ PSG – Paris Saint-Germain
FIFA Club World Cup
๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ง๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ก ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ
Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said Saturday he was looking forward to seeing how his new team measures up to European champions Paris Saint-Germain after the sides set up a semi-final showdown at the Club World Cup.
Real beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in their last-eight tie at the MetLife Stadium, a few hours after PSG defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 in Atlanta.
The Spanish giants and the French side will now clash at the MetLife Stadium in the semi-finals on Wednesday, and whoever emerges victorious will be seen as favourites to go on and win the competition.
“Today we played against a team who went far in the Champions League and now we face the winners, so this is going to be another little step up for us in this new project we are beginning,” said Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti as Real coach just ahead of the tournament.
PSG, coached by Luis Enrique, succeeded Madrid as European champions after hammering Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final in Munich in late May.
“They have been playing at a really high level since the last 16 of the Champions League and it will be a really big challenge for us.”
Real appeared to be cruising to a comfortable victory against Dortmund after goals in the first 20 minutes by young striker Gonzalo Garcia and left-back Fran Garcia.
But Maximilian Beier pulled one back for Dortmund in stoppage time, sparking a remarkable late flurry which saw Kylian Mbappe net an overhead kick and then Serhou Guirassy score a penalty for the Germans after Dean Huijsen was sent off.
“We can do better but overall it ws a very serious performance and now we need to take the positives from this,” said Alonso, who will have to do without centre-back Huijsen against PSG due to suspension.
“The game has just ended so I am not yet thinking about the semis. I will have a couple of hours of peace but obviously it is not good news to have lost Huijsen.”