Eliminated By Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund Exit The Club World Cup

Real Madrid has eliminated the second of the two Bundesliga clubs from the FIFA Club World Cup. After Bayern Munich exited the competition earlier today, Borussia Dortmund was defeated 3-2 by Real Madrid at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, thanks to goals by Gonzalo Garcia (10’), Fran Garcia (20’) and Kylian Mbappé (90+3’). Maxi Beier (90+2’) and then Serhou Guirassy made it interesting late.

Indeed, the game felt over for Dortmund before it really began. Gonzalo, who has had a standout tournament, scoring four goals in five games, opened the scoring with the first real chance of the game. Then, just ten minutes later, it was truly over when Fran Garcia doubled the lead with a clinical strike from inside the box.

From then on, Real Madrid toyed with Dortmund, who never seemed capable of getting back into the game. The stats underline this. Although Dortmund had 52% possession, they couldn’t create any dangerous moments until it was almost too late. Before Beier and Guirassy scored, Dortmund’s xG was just 0.27.

Indeed, ahead of a wild injury time, Real did an excellent job shutting down an excellent Dortmund attack. Forward Serhou Guirassy, who came into the game with three games in four Club World Cup games, was held to an xG of 0.00 ahead of his penalty. The striker would finish the game with zero shots on goal.

Overall, it all felt a bit toothless as Dortmund went ahead of a late rally that almost saw the Black and Yellows race back into the game. Although Dortmund managed to play a strong tournament, this was also the first time they met a top opponent. At the same time, Dortmund drew Fluminense in the group stage and then beat Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan to advance to the round of 16, where they dispatched Monterrey.

What then are the takeaways for Dortmund now that they have exited the FIFA Club World Cup? Financially, the tournament has been a success for the Black and Yellows. Dortmund has earned $52.3 million ahead of the quarterfinal against Real Madrid.

That sum is just six million short of what league competitor Bayern Munich earned at the competition. With that in mind, reaching the semifinal, where Dortmund would have earned another guaranteed $21.3 million, would have been an opportunity to close the financial gap to the Rekordmeister.

At this stage, though, Real Madrid was simply a bridge too far for the Black and Yellows. The LaLiga giants were more clinical, cleaner in midfield, and more direct in the attack. They also showed more squad depth overall, with Kylian Mbappé coming off the bench in the second half and then scoring what would be the winner.

That’s the difference, then, between Dortmund and Europe’s elite. Having said that, with Jamie Gittens sold to Chelsea, a new sponsor in Vodafone, and now the Club World Cup earnings, Dortmund is in a strong financial position, and with the right decisions on the market this summer, it could be Bayern’s primary challenger in the Bundesliga.