🏆 Club World Cup 2025 Quarter-Final Recap: Red-Card Drama & Semi-Final Stakes

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Fluminense 2–1 Al‑Hilal 

📍 Orlando – July 4, 2025

A poised Fluminense secured a win against resilient Al-Hilal.

Highlights:

• ⚽ Ganso (38′) — a stunning long-range effort
• ⚽ Germán Cano (67′) — doubled the lead
• ⚽ Salem Al-Dawsari (84′) — late consolation goal

Injuries:

• Pedro pulled up with a hamstring injury — semis availability uncertain

Red Cards:

• ❌ None

Verdict:

Midfield mastery keeps Fluminense moving, but they’ll need sharper attack against Chelsea.

Chelsea 2–1 Palmeiras 

📍 Philadelphia – July 5, 2025

Chelsea edged out Palmeiras in a youth vs youth tactical showdown.

Highlights:

• ⚽ Cole Palmer (23′) — top-corner strike
• ⚽ Estêvão Willian (76′) — brilliant equalizer
• ⚽ Own goal (88′) — Gusto’s delivery deflected in by Rocha

Injuries:

• ❌ None reported

Red Cards:

• ❌ None

Verdict:

Palmer dazzled, but Chelsea’s defense needs more composure in critical moments.

PSG 2–0 Bayern Munich 

📍 Atlanta – July 5, 2025

PSG advanced heroically with nine men, showcasing grit and counter-attacking power.

Highlights:

• ⚽ Désiré Doué (79′) — fired in the opener
• ⚽ Ousmane Dembélé (90+4′) — sealed victory on the counter

Injuries:

• ⚠️ Jamal Musiala (Bayern) — confirmed ligament damage, out for the tournament

Red Cards:

• 🟥 Lucas Hernández (PSG) 
• 🟥 William Pacho (PSG)

Verdict:

PSG’s organization held firm despite being two men down — but defense will be stretched in upcoming duel with Real.

Real Madrid 3–2 Borussia Dortmund ​

📍 New York – July 5, 2025

A dramatic clash ended with Mbappé’s sublime scissor-kick — and a costly red card.

Highlights:

• ⚽ Fran García (12′) & Gonzalo García (41′) gave Madrid the upper hand
• ⚽ Reus (78′) and Adeyemi (90+2′) leveled for Dortmund
• ⚽ Mbappé (90+6′) delivered the decider in stunning fashion fifa.com+7fifa.com+7fifa.com+7en.wikipedia.org+1en.wikipedia.org+1

Injuries:

• ⚠️ Thibaut Courtois — reported muscle tightness, final fitness check pending

Red Cards:

• 🟥 Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) 

Verdict:

Madrid’s attack was electric but their depleted defense could face trouble against a strong PSG line-up.

 Semi-Final Fixtures & What’s at Stake

Match	Date	Venue	Key Focus
Fluminense vs Chelsea	July 8	Miami	Chelsea’s youth vs Flu’s midfield; Pedro’s fitness; Palmer vs André
PSG vs Real Madrid	July 9	Los Angeles	Mbappé’s return clash; PSG’s red-card victims; Madrid’s midfield control

💭 Final Word

The quarter-finals transformed the tournament with pivotal red cards and heroics. Now, as we head into the semis, it’s a full test of depth, discipline, and determination.

— ✍️ Written by Kelvin Wambua Kang’alya

📸 Founder, Rshots.com— Where passion meets perspective