Serhou Guirassy’s clinical double sent Borussia Dortmund into the semi-finals of the FIFA Club World Cup, where they’ll face five-time champions Real Madrid, following a tense 2-1 victory over Monterrey at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Making their debut appearance at the Club World Cup, Dortmund arrived on the back of a 10-game unbeaten run (W8, D2), and that form translated into early dominance against a resilient Monterrey side in their first-ever clash with a Liga MX opponent.
The Bundesliga outfit wasted no time asserting their class, with Guirassy breaking the deadlock in the 14th minute.
The Guinean striker coolly slotted past Esteban Andrada after latching onto a sensational backheel assist from Karim Adeyemi.
Monterrey responded swiftly and nearly restored parity when Jesús Corona’s curling effort kissed the outside of the post.
Moments later, Nelson Deossa unleashed a venomous shot that forced a sharp save from Gregor Kobel.
But Dortmund refused to ease up. Guirassy struck again ten minutes after his opener, this time again set up by Adeyemi.
Slipping through the Monterrey defense, the striker calmly picked his spot and doubled the advantage with precision.
He almost had his hat-trick before the half-hour, narrowly missing a dangerous low cross from Jobe Bellingham that skidded across the six-yard box.
Monterrey came out with renewed purpose after the break, and within minutes, German Berterame powered a header home to halve the deficit, his third goal of the tournament sparking hopes of a comeback.
Despite the introduction of Marcel Sabitzer to steady the ship, Dortmund looked shaky, and Kobel had to come to their rescue again, smothering a close-range effort from Corona.
Berterame thought he had equalized with just over 60 minutes gone, but his goal was chalked off for a razor-thin offside call, dealing a heavy blow to Monterrey’s momentum.
Rayados pushed hard late on, bringing on Lucas Ocampos and Roberto de la Rosa in a final roll of the dice, but BVB held firm. A nervy second-half display was enough to see them over the line.
Monterrey exit the tournament with heads held high, having navigated the group stage unbeaten (W1, D2), but it’s Dortmund who now head to New York for a high-stakes rematch of the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, this time with global silverware on the line.
