Garcia form & Mbappe stunner give Alonso selection headache

Kylian Mbappe opened his Club World Cup account in style with a stunning overhead kick in Real Madrid's thrilling 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund – but the French star has his work cut out to displace one of the game's brightest young prospects from the starting line-up.

Having missed the group stage with gastroenteritis, Mbappe came off the bench against Dortmund for his second appearance of the competition.

He marked the occasion with an acrobatic stoppage-time finish from Arda Guler's delivery to restore Madrid's two-goal lead after Maximilian Beier had given the German side late hope.

But Mbappe's team-mate Gonzalo Garcia, who had scored or assisted in every game prior to Saturday's quarter-final, continued his scintillating form with only 10 minutes on the clock when he met another Guler cross with a sweetly struck first-time volley.

The 21-year-old is now level on four competition goals with Benfica's Angel di Maria and Al-Hilal's Marcos Leonardo, whose sides have been eliminated from the tournament.

"I love the finish – he opens up his foot to put it in the far post, as opposed to putting it back to the near post," former England international Andros Townsend told DAZN. "It really is an expert finish.

"The fact that at the last minute he has opened up his foot up, gave the goalkeeper no chance."

Garcia's purple patch has given manager Xabi Alonso a welcome selection headache as Madrid turn their attention towards Wednesday's semi-final showdown with reigning European champions Paris St-Germain, who beat Bayern 2-0 in Atlanta earlier on Saturday.

Garcia's opener in New Jersey was one of only two touches in the Dortmund area.

He was by no means a bystander, however, making 27 overall – the majority down the right-hand side.

Garcia ended the game with an overall xG of 0.8, more than any other player on the pitch and just ahead of Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy (0.79).

The fact Alonso opted to take off Brazil forward Vinicius Jr nearly 20 minutes before withdrawing Garcia speaks volumes about his standing in the Madrid squad.

"It wasn't just the goal," said Newcastle striker Callum Wilson. "It was the work-rate and everything else he brought to the team. He is helping them press. He deserves respect.

"We aren't talking about him stepping in for one game and turning up. He has done it game after game throughout the tournament.

"[For his goal], he made the run, ended up offside and gets himself back onside on the blind-side of the defender – it's so difficult to mark that."

Boss Alonso, who has recently compared Garcia to legendary Real Madrid and Spain striker Raul Gonzalez, was full of praise for the 21-year-old following his latest effort.

"He's doing great work for the team," he said. "He's in the right positions in the box. He's a proper number nine and I'm pleased he's doing that well."

Aside from a one-year spell away from the Spanish capital with Mallorca in 2018-19, Garcia has been part of the Madrid set-up since the age of 10.

He rose through the ranks and made his first appearance with Madrid's B team, Castilla, in March 2022.

The Spanish forward made his first-team debut in the November of that year but was still predominantly playing with Castilla, eventually scoring his first senior goal in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals against Leganes in February 2025.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague said: "In December 2024, Raul - then manager of Real Madrid B - said Garcia should be in the first team. He was part of the youth team that won the treble in 2022-23. He was playing as a nine but also can play as a left winger.

"Real have been looking for a forward, someone who accepts his role behind Mbappe. Now they have got that nine through the ranks, Alonso has got a lot of confidence in him.

"He was the third top scorer in Real Madrid B history, arrived at Real Madrid when he was 10 and now he is a first teamer."

As for Mbappe, five of his 12 touches on Saturday after replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold came inside the Dortmund box.

Despite entering the fray midway through the second half, only Dortmund's Beier had more touches in the opposition penalty area.

Alonso will have been delighted the Frenchman was back on the scoresheet in such spectacular fashion – a goal which ultimately proved the match-winner after Guirassy's late penalty for Dortmund.

"The technique of the finish was fantastic," added Wilson. "If it were me, I'd have been trying to head it. That's why he's playing for Real Madrid."

Wednesday is set to be an emotional occasion for Mbappe as he prepares to face his former club for the first time since leaving them last summer - and a French Supercup encounter in July 2017 when at Monaco.

But Saturday's stunning strike suggests he is hitting form at just the right time.

But with Garcia continuing to shine, the 26-year-old superstar's place in the Madrid XI is far from guaranteed.