Serhou Guirassy was on absolute fire, smashing in two early goals to push Borussia Dortmund past CF Monterrey in a thrilling 2-1 win on Tuesday night in Atlanta, securing their spot in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-finals.
The electric Karim Adeyemi was the architect behind both goals, setting up Guirassy and boosting the striker’s tally to three goals in the tournament.
But it wasn’t a walk in the park. German Berterame pulled one back with a powerful header early in the second half, keeping Monterrey alive and giving Dortmund some anxious moments. A close call came when Sergio Ramos narrowly missed a dramatic equalizer with a late header that whizzed just wide of the top corner.
With this win, Dortmund became the fifth and final European team to lock in a spot in the last eight, joining fellow German giants Bayern Munich. Next up? A heavyweight showdown with Real Madrid this Saturday in East Rutherford.
Sadly for the Concacaf region, Monterrey were the last ones standing – and now falling – after Inter Miami's 4-0 drubbing by Paris Saint-Germain.
Berterame’s goal was the spark Monterrey needed – a sharp downward header after a lucky deflection off Erick Aguirre set him up perfectly. Just eleven minutes later, Jesus Corona found himself one-on-one with the keeper, only to shoot straight at Gregor Kobel, squandering the golden chance to level.
The first half was all about the deadly duo of Guirassy and Adeyemi. In the 14th minute, Guirassy received the ball with his back to goal, linked up with Adeyemi, and slipped in to slot a low finish past a stretching Esteban Andrada.
Ten minutes later, Adeyemi chased down a long ball, held off his marker, and cut it back perfectly for Guirassy to blast in his second, leaving Andrada helpless once again.
Guirassy was inches away from a hat-trick before the break, narrowly missing after a slick setup from Jobe Bellingham. Moments later, Andrada made a brilliant recovery save to deny him again, this time off a cross from Pascal Gross.
However, Bellingham's night soured in the 28th minute when he received a yellow card, ruling him out of the blockbuster clash with Real Madrid – where he would have faced his brother, Jude Bellingham, a former Dortmund star.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium drew a buzzing crowd of 31,442, though its massive upper deck stayed unused. Thankfully, the blistering US heat didn’t cause problems as the stadium roof was closed for the night.