Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 on Tuesday to book a Club World Cup quarterfinal clash with Borussia Dortmund, who squeezed past Monterrey in a nail-biting round-of-16 encounter.
Serhou Guirassy struck twice for the German side as they battled to a 2-1 victory over Sergio Ramos’ Monterrey in Atlanta, spoiling the veteran defender’s hopes of a reunion with former club Madrid.
Earlier in Miami, teenage sensation Gonzalo Garcia nodded in his third goal of the tournament to sink Juventus at Hard Rock Stadium, extending Madrid’s unbeaten run under new coach Xabi Alonso.
Madrid were further boosted by the return of Kylian Mbappe, who came off the bench after recovering from illness.
“We had a lot of chances in the second half, but their goalkeeper was really good,” said Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The first half was finely balanced, with Igor Tudor’s Juventus starting brightly before Madrid gained control toward halftime.
Los Blancos continued to press and found the breakthrough in the 54th minute when Trent Alexander-Arnold crossed for Garcia to head home.
Alonso introduced Mbappe to the delight of the 62,149 fans, but the striker was kept quiet as Juventus pushed for an equalizer.
The Madrid coach praised his team’s performance, especially that of Garcia, whom he has previously compared to club legend Raul and suggested that Mbappe is nearing full fitness.
“We will keep watching him… I think he will be much better for the quarters,” Alonso said.
He added that he was satisfied with the team’s grit and maturity to grind out the result.
“We had to be patient, we had to mature into the game,” Alonso said. “With the players and myself, you know you have to grit your teeth and do what you have to do. In the end, we had to hold on a bit, and I’m happy about that too.”
Juventus coach Tudor said fatigue played a major role in the outcome.
“In the end there were 10 of them asking to be substituted. Obviously you can’t do that, but there was incredible tiredness,” he said. “There’s the tension of the game which burns energy, but then there’s the heat and humidity,” he added, noting they were at the end of a long season.
Dortmund deny Ramos
In Atlanta, Guirassy’s brace lifted Dortmund past Monterrey in a hard-fought clash, setting up a rematch with Madrid, the side that beat them in the 2024 Champions League final.
“Real has a great team, they have many good individual players,” Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said. “If we put everything on the pitch, with the same performance we saw today, I think we will have a good chance.”
Guirassy netted both goals in the first half, but German Berterame pulled one back for the Mexican side, who nearly equalized when a late Ramos header spun just wide.
“I think I could have scored at least three goals, but I am happy to have helped the team win,” Guirassy told broadcaster DAZN.
After enduring several group-stage matches in sweltering conditions, Dortmund welcomed the climate-controlled Mercedes-Benz Stadium and played at a faster pace.
Karim Adeyemi assisted both of Guirassy’s goals, bringing the Guinea international’s tally to 37 across all competitions this season.
However, Jobe Bellingham received a booking that will see him suspended for the clash against his brother Jude’s Madrid side.
Monterrey surged in the second half and Berterame’s header halved the deficit, but goalkeeper Gregor Kobel made a string of saves to preserve Dortmund’s lead.
Ramos, sent forward in the final minutes, nearly delivered another signature moment – much like his iconic equalizer in the 2014 Champions League final – but saw his stoppage-time header drift agonizingly wide.
“The crowd, our fans, and the people who understand football saw that the team gave everything,” Ramos told DAZN, proud of his side’s fight.
Content Source: www.dailysabah.com