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

SportsMoneyEliminated By Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund Exit The World CupByManuel Veth, Contributor

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights

I write the German football with a focus on the Bundesliga

More (Photo by Hector Vivas - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)FIFA via Getty Images Real Madrid has eliminated the second of the two Bundesliga s from the FIFA 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

Before Beier and Guirassy scored, Dortmund’s xG was just 0

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 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

MORE FOR YOU Serhou Guirassy scored late from the spot

But his goal was too little too late for Borussia

More Dortmund. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)Getty Images What then are the takeaways for Dortmund now that they have exited the FIFA World Cup

Financially, the tournament has been a success for the Black and Yellows

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 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

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