Real Madrid secured passage to the Club World Cup semi-finals with a 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, a match that was far less comfortable than the scoreline suggested for much of the game. A dominant 90 minutes saw Los Blancos hold a seemingly unassailable 2-0 lead, only for sheer chaos to erupt in stoppage time, culminating in a late Dortmund surge and a Real Madrid red card before the final whistle blew on a 3-2 win. While the result was secured, the dramatic conclusion served as a stark reminder of potential vulnerabilities and, more pressingly for manager Xabi Alonso, amplified existing questions about his optimal lineup ahead of the semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
Before the late-game scramble, the narrative was dominated by emerging talent. 21-year-old Gonzalo Garcia continued his impressive Club World Cup campaign, opening the scoring after just ten minutes with a finish that belied his youth, adding another goal to his growing tally. He has quickly established himself as a welcome newcomer, contributing five goals in five appearances. Xabi Alonso was notably effusive in his praise post-match, highlighting Garcia`s clinical finishing and smart positioning, acknowledging his prolific season with the Castilla reserve team as a precursor to this senior success.
The contribution of young players didn`t stop with Garcia. 20-year-old Arda Guler provided the well-executed long ball that led to Garcia`s opener, demonstrating a glimpse of the attacking future. The second goal, a spectacular strike from Fran Garcia, underscored a key tactical evolution under Alonso: the increasing importance of fullbacks in the attacking phase. New signing Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a precise pass through traffic to set up Fran Garcia. Alonso praised Fran Garcia`s concentration, intensity, and tactical understanding, specifically noting how Vinicius Junior`s positioning created space for the fullback to overlap effectively and find himself in goal-scoring positions. This tactical emphasis on fullbacks mirrors modern trends and Alonso`s successful approach at Bayer Leverkusen, aiming for a clinical efficiency that was sometimes lacking in previous seasons.
For the first 90 minutes, the performance felt like a clear articulation of Alonso`s tactical principles: a team comfortable ceding possession when necessary, prioritizing compactness, efficient transitions, and lethal finishing from various positions, including advanced fullbacks. This approach delivered unfussy dominance until the final moments, painting a picture of a team that, while perhaps still raw, seemed built on a solid, evolving foundation.
However, the stoppage-time drama, culminating in a winning goal from Kylian Mbappe, forcefully reintroduced the central strategic puzzle facing Alonso. More than 80 minutes after Gonzalo Garcia`s opening strike, Mbappe matched his impact by netting the decisive goal with a moment of individual brilliance – a stylish flying kick that highlighted his unique world-class quality. This late intervention by the superstar, who had been sidelined with gastroenteritis, immediately created a fascinating juxtaposition.
Mbappe`s arrival and goal against Dortmund wasn`t just a match-winning moment; it brought into sharp focus the year-long conundrum at Real Madrid: where exactly does Kylian Mbappe, the undisputed superstar signing, fit into the attacking structure? Gonzalo Garcia had effectively stepped in as a placeholder during Mbappe`s illness, performing beyond expectations. Now, with a Club World Cup title within reach and the semi-final against PSG – Mbappe`s former club – looming, Alonso must decide how to reincorporate a player who, despite scoring 44 goals in his debut season (a figure confirming his immense quality), proved challenging for the previous manager to seamlessly integrate alongside existing attacking options like Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Alonso himself acknowledged Mbappe wasn`t at 100% against Dortmund, having only played a similar brief spell earlier in the tournament. This sets up a direct selection headache for the PSG match: does he continue with the red-hot Gonzalo Garcia, immediately reinstate the superstar Mbappe, or attempt a potentially disruptive reshuffle to accommodate both, perhaps alongside Vinicius? While the manager hasn`t ruled out playing them together, major lineup changes haven`t been a hallmark of his early tenure unless forced by necessity.
The question of how these elite attacking talents – Mbappe, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius, with Rodrygo`s future also a factor – will ultimately fit together is the fresh headache for the new manager. In the context of Real Madrid, this dilemma is often described, perhaps with a touch of irony, as a “champagne problem” – a problem born of having too much high-quality talent. Yet, a problem it remains, requiring a strategic solution. Finding ways to secure victories, just as they ultimately did against Dortmund, is the immediate answer. But how Kylian Mbappe is integrated and performs within Xabi Alonso`s evolving system may well be the defining narrative of the manager`s early legacy at Real Madrid, even as they pursue immediate silverware.
