Six Minutes of Madness: Real Madrid Survive Late Drama to Seal Club World Cup Semi-Final Spot

To call it dramatic would still fall short! It was like a thunderclap on a calm evening—last night’s clash between but ended in a whirlwind of emotion and chaos.

At New York’s MetLife Stadium, the game opened with royal elegance—each pass by Real Madrid was steeped in rhythm, every attack echoed control. By the 10th minute, Gonzalo García—one of the brightest revelations of this Club World Cup—found the net in fine form. It was his fourth goal of the tournament. Then in the 20th minute, Fran García doubled the lead, and it seemed victory for Real was just a matter of time.

But football doesn't end at the 90th minute—it patiently waits, breathing life into every moment before the final whistle.

At the end of regular time, the scoreboard read 2–0. For many, the remaining minutes felt like a mere formality. Yet stoppage time unfolded like a suspense-filled poem written by some unseen footballing poet—each added minute a new stanza brimming with thrill and disbelief.

In the 92nd minute, Maximilian Beier pulled one back for Dortmund, igniting hope from the ashes. But in the 94th, Kylian Mbappé responded with a goal of his own—an answer wrapped in emotion, as he paid tribute to the late Portuguese and Liverpool star Diogo Jota, who had tragically died in a road accident. The tribute was silent, yet deeply moving.

Then came the 96th minute—Dortmund’s Dejan Huisen was shown a red card, shifting momentum fully towards Madrid. Still, the drama wasn’t done. In the 98th minute, Serhou Guirassy converted a penalty, bringing the score to a nail-biting 3–2.

With the final whistle, Real Madrid sealed their spot in the semi-final. But what unfolded in those final six minutes will linger long in the memory of football lovers—a passage of play soaked in adrenaline and unpredictability.

After the match, Real’s coach Xabi Alonso reflected with composed honesty:
"Everything was under control. But in the final ten minutes, things got a bit messy. We lost our shape a little and weren’t as sharp. Still, we played well for 80 minutes. We need to improve in those last ten."

Looking ahead to the semi-final, Alonso acknowledged the challenge with respect:
"Facing PSG will be a huge test for us. We want to take the positives from tonight’s match and carry them into the next game."

This wasn’t just a win—it was a reminder of football’s eternal beauty, where everything can change in a heartbeat. Where victory is more than a result—it’s a spectacle of emotion, history, and pure passion.