Real Madrid ready for ‘really big challenge’ against PSG at Club World Cup
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Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe scoring the Spanish giant's third goal in their 3-2 Club World Cup quarter-final win against Borussia Dortmund on July 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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EAST RUTHERFORD – Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said on July 5 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
The Spanish giants and the French side will now clash at the MetLife Stadium in the semi-finals on July 9. Whoever wins will be seen as title favourites against Chelsea or Brazil’s Fluminense, who will meet in the earlier semi-final on July 8.
“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 Real as European champions after hammering Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final in Munich on May 31.
“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 German side, after Dean Huijsen was sent off.
“We can do better but overall it was a very serious performance and now we need to take the positives from this,” said Alonso, who will be 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.”
Alonso may now have a selection headache of another sort in attack, with Mbappe – used as a substitute on July 5 – pushing for a first start of the tournament against his old club after overcoming illness.
“He is still not perfect, not at 100 per cent, but he is improving every day,” the Spaniard said of the France superstar, after he scored his 44th goal for the club since signing from PSG in 2024.
Gonzalo Garcia, meanwhile, has had a fine Club World Cup with the 21-year-old striker notching four goals in five appearances off the back of a prolific campaign with Real’s second team, Castilla, in the third tier.
“Yesterday (July 4) I said that Gonzalo was making the most of his opportunity and he did it again today,” Alonso said.
“He has the characteristics of a goalscorer, he had a great season with Castilla, scoring 25 goals, and he is in the right place here.”
Meanwhile, Dortmund coach Niko Kovac insisted he was satisfied with his team’s showing at the tournament, despite their defeat, as they now get to take a holiday before preparing for the start of the next Bundesliga season.
“I want to congratulate Real Madrid for going through. It is a well-deserved victory. We were too slow, the conditions were not perfect, and we were not good enough, even if in the second half we were a lot better,” he said.
“Overall, my team had a good tournament. We showed our qualities and it is not a failure if you go home after a defeat against Real Madrid,” he added. AFP
