CLUB WORLD CUP
Dortmund hold off Monterrey to reach Club World Cup quarter-finals
Borussia Dortmund held off a stirring second-half fightback from Monterrey to complete the Club World Cup quarter-final line-up with a 2-1 win in a round-of-16 thriller at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday.
Clinical finishes from Serhou Guirassy in the 14th and 24th minutes put Dortmund on top at the break but German Berterame hit back for Monterrey in the 48th minute and the Mexican club pressed for an equaliser until the final whistle.
The Dortmund defence held firm, however, to set up a last-eight meeting with 15-times European champions Real Madrid in New Jersey on Saturday.
There will be no reunion for the Bellingham family, however, with a yellow card shown to Dortmund’s Jobe in the 28th minute ruling him out of the clash with big brother Jude’s Real.
“It was difficult. They’re a good team with experienced players,” said Guinean Guirassy.
“I think we had a very good first half. Second half was a bit harder, but the mindset was tough and we won so we’re all happy tonight.”
The first 10 minutes of the clash were frenetic with plenty of full-blooded challenges and the first of a string of dangerous long-range shots from Monterrey’s Nelson Deossa the best of the early efforts.
Dortmund strike duo Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi took over in the 14th minute with a neat exchange of touches on the edge of the box setting the former free to drill the ball inside the near post.
Monterrey left winger Jesus Corona hit the outside of the post with a cross-shot and another Deossa strike tested goalkeeper Gregor Kobel minutes later but Dortmund soon doubled the lead.
Julian Ryerson won possession with a physical challenge and his long-ball found Adeyemi racing towards goal, the 23-year-old holding up his run before laying the ball on a plate for Guirassy to slot it past goalkeeper Esteban Andrada.
Guirassy should have had a hat-trick before halftime but spurned gilt-edged chances provided by Bellingham and Pascal Gross passes.
Monterrey brought their fans back into the match with a storming start to the second half, however, and quickly cut the deficit in half.
Corona, a constant threat throughout the match, curled a cross to the far post where Erick Aguirre headed the ball back across goal and Berterame nodded it past Kobel.
Monterrey continued to pour forward looking for an equaliser, Corona having one chance saved by Kobel and blasting another over the bar before Berterame found the net from an offside position.
A couple of 70th minute substitutions helped Dortmund find a bit more composure, and Guirassy had a couple of half-chances to grab his third goal before Monterrey got back on the attack.
Sergio Ramos, who was hoping for his own reunion with Real, moved forward to help his forwards and grazed the outside of the post with a header in the last few seconds of normal time, but there was to be no fairytale finish for the Spain great.
“I think I could have scored maybe three goals at least,” Guirassy, who was named Player of the Match, added. “I expect a tough game (against Real), but we’ll be prepared.”
-Reuters
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Real Madrid hit their stride at the Club World Cup on Tuesday, edging Juventus 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals thanks to a second-half strike from academy graduate Gonzalo Garcia as Kylian Mbappe made his tournament debut.
Garcia, deputising for Mbappe after the France forward missed the group stage due to gastroenteritis, found the back of the net early in the second half to set up a meeting with either Borussia Dortmund or Monterrey.
Mbappe made his much-anticipated appearance as a second-half substitute, delighting the partisan crowd who packed Hard Rock Stadium to near capacity in a demonstration of the Spanish giants’ considerable global appeal.
Juventus had early chances but gradually faded under the relentless pressing of Xabi Alonso’s side and had goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio to thank for sparing them a heavier defeat.
After a lacklustre group phase, Real, playing in Alonso’s favoured 3-4-3, showed glimpses of what they could be capable of under their new coach.
Juve striker Randal Kolo Muani, set up by Kenan Yildiz’s incisive pass that split the Real Madrid defence, attempted an audacious chip in the seventh minute but sent the ball narrowly over Thibaut Courtois’s crossbar.
Moments later, Yildiz tried his luck from long range but saw his effort fly wide.
Real Madrid grew into the match and nearly capitalised on a defensive lapse by Juventus.
Jude Bellingham, aiming a sharp angled strike, was denied by Di Gregorio, whose quick reactions kept the Italian side level.
Di Gregorio was called into action again shortly before halftime, making an impressive save to parry away a thunderous long-range shot from Federico Valverde.
Juventus, under pressure late in the first half, must have been satisfied to reach the interval with the scoreline still goalless.
Twice early in the second half Di Gregorio denied Bellingham and Dean Huijsen, but he was helpless when Garcia headed home from Trent Alexander Arnold’s pin-point cross in the 54th minute for his third goal in the tournament.
The Italian keeper sustained some hope for Juventus, his reaction save preventing Valverde from scoring with a bicycle kick.
‘Mbappe, Mbappe!’ the crowd chanted as the France forward, after warming up, ran towards the bench to get ready to replace Garcia midway through the second half.
The 26-year-old was often in a good position but he was not properly served by his team mates and his start in the 32-team tournament eventually looked like a glorified workout.
-Reuters
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Ten players asked to be substituted during Juventus’s 1-0 defeat by Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Tuesday in humid and hot conditions, coach Igor Tudor said.
Temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius with a humidity of 70% — a punishing combination for the players at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Real prevailed thanks to a Gonzalo Garcia goal to reach the quarter-finals while Kylian Mbappe made his start in the tournament as a second-half substitute.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
The extreme heat in several cities hosting the Club World Cup has been a focal point in the tournament, which is seen as a dry run for next year’s men’s World Cup.
FIFA have implemented cooling breaks, one per half, and mitigating measures, but some players and coaches have been complaining about the conditions.
KEY QUOTES:
Juventus coach Igor Tudor
On the conditions: “In the end, 10 players asked to be substituted — 10 players asked to come off. It wasn’t possible; the exhaustion was incredible.
“There’s the tension of this match, which burns you energy. Then there’s this heat, which really gets to you… and the third thing that completes the conditions today is playing in this humidity, right? These three things together combined.”
On Mbappe: “How does it change with Mbappe? How do you drive the car? Real Madrid already goes at 200 kilometres per hour, then you add Mbappe and it goes to 250 — and 200 is already a lot. With Mbappe, it’s like adding 50 more.”
-Reuters
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CLUB WORLD CUP
Saudi giants edge Premier League champions 4-3 in Orlando classic, set to face Fluminense
In Orlando, USA, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in Club World Cup history on Monday night, edging Manchester City 4-3 after extra time in a dramatic seven-goal encounter in Orlando.
Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo was the hero of the night, netting twice – including the decisive goal in the 112th minute – to send the Riyadh-based club into the quarter-final, where they will face Fluminense of Brazil.
The match was packed with drama from start to finish, with Bernardo Silva putting City in front as early as the ninth minute.
The Portuguese midfielder tapped home from close range after a miscued clearance by Renan Lodi fell kindly inside the six-yard box.
Although Al-Hilal protested over a potential handball in the build-up involving Rayan Ait-Nouri, the referee allowed the goal to stand.
But City’s early lead was undone within moments of the restart. Al-Hilal struck twice in six minutes – first through Leonardo, who nodded into an empty net after Ederson blocked a low cross from Malcom, and then via Malcom himself, who coolly finished after a defence-splitting long ball from João Cancelo.
Erling Haaland quickly brought City level in the 55th minute, heading in from a corner delivered by Silva, but was later denied a second by a last-ditch clearance from Ali Lajami.
Extra-time proved just as intense. Four minutes in, Kalidou Koulibaly rose highest to glance home a header from Rúben Neves’ corner, restoring Al-Hilal’s advantage. City responded once again when Phil Foden, teed up by Rayan Cherki, volleyed in a superb equaliser to make it 3-3.
But the final word belonged to Leonardo. After Ederson parried a powerful header from Sergej Milinković-Savić, Leonardo stumbled but managed to bundle in the rebound to seal a famous win for the Saudi champions.
“We knew it was going to be a difficult game against one of the best teams in the world,” said a jubilant Kalidou Koulibaly.
“We showed our ideas, our talent, our power – both defensively and offensively. Every opportunity we had, we took it. We can be very happy.”
City’s defeat means they exit the tournament early, while Al-Hilal march on to face Copa Libertadores championsFluminense in a highly anticipated quarter-final showdown.
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