On Saturday, July 5, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund took the pitch at MetLife Stadium for a quarterfinals match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Real Madrid entered the match as favorites, as well as one of the teams most likely to win the entire tournament. Borussia Dortmund, however, were not an easy task for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid got off to a hot start immediately, scoring in the 10th minute on a Gonzalo García goal and in the 20th minute on a Fran Garcia goal. Following that, Real Madrid seemed primed to run away with the game, as it went quiet from that point on. Real Madrid held on to the lead as the game reached half-time, roughly 45 minutes away from advancing.
After 90 minutes, Real Madrid just needed to survive through extra time and would be heading to the semi-finals. However, Maximilian Beier scored a goal in the 2nd minute of extra time to reduce the lead to just 1 goal. Though Kylian Mbappé responded right back with a mesmerizing bicycle kick in the 4th minute of extra time.
Real Madrid’s Dean Huijsen drew a red card in the 6th minute of extra time, putting the club in a troubling position, though only for a few minutes. Borussia Dortmund took advantage, with Serhou Guirassy scoring in the 8th minute of extra time on a penalty kick. With only a few minutes left, Real Madrid lead 3-2, with their lead slowly dwindling.
In the final seconds of the game, Borussia Dortmund hit a speeding kick into the left side of Real Madrid’s net. Real Madrid’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fantastic save, barely keeping the ball out of the net. Perhaps no other goalkeeper but him could have saved.
The clock finally ran out, giving Real Madrid a 3-2 victory, where they will now be facing Paris Saint-Germain F.C. The two teams are the favorites to win the entire tournament and the winner of that match might ultimately decide who wins the entire 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Real Madrid are now a simple two wins away from being the next FIFA Club World Cup champions.