The quarter-final stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has concluded, setting the stage for two highly anticipated semi-final matchups. Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Fluminense have all secured their berths in the last four, with semi-final games scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Real Madrid booked their place in the semi-finals after a thrilling 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund. The Spanish giants demonstrated dominant form in the first half, with Gonzalo Garcia opening the scoring in the 10th minute with a close-range finish, marking his fourth goal of the tournament. The 19-year-old academy product, whose superb form has reportedly kept Kylian Mbappe out of the starting XI, doubled Madrid’s lead less than 10 minutes later, converting Trent Alexander-Arnold’s drilled cut-back. Despite Dortmund's efforts to respond, they largely failed to test Thibaut Courtois seriously, though Aurelien Tchouameni nearly extended Madrid’s lead with a thunderous strike that rattled the crossbar. Kylian Mbappe, introduced in the final 23 minutes, made an instant impact. Although Max Beier pulled one back for Dortmund in stoppage time, Mbappe swiftly restored Madrid’s two-goal cushion with an acrobatic strike. Dortmund was awarded a late penalty, converted by Serhou Guirassy, but it was too late to prevent Los Blancos from advancing. Dean Huijsen also received a straight red card for a last-man foul during the match. Real Madrid remains unbeaten in the tournament, a testament to manager Xabi Alonso’s decision to maintain an unchanged line-up as his side pursues Club World Cup glory. Their victory sets up a challenging semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain.

Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the semi-finals by defeating Bayern Munich 2-0 earlier in the day, despite finishing the game with nine men. Goals from Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele secured PSG's win. However, the match was marred by an injury to Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala, who was stretchered off after a heavy collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Bayern manager Vincent Kompany provided an update, stating that Musiala would receive the best medical treatment, and that preliminary observations suggest an ankle injury, though no definitive diagnosis was made.

In another quarter-final fixture, Chelsea edged Palmeiras 2-1. Two goals from Cole Palmer and an own goal by Agustín Giay sealed the victory for Enzo Maresca’s side. Following the match, Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel singled out two players for praise: Malo Gusto and Estêvão Willian. Obi Mikel lauded Gusto's performance, stating he