Dortmund hold off Monterrey to reach Club World Cup quarter-finals

ATLANTA, Georgia :Borussia Dortmund held off a stirring second-half fightback from Monterrey to complete the Club World Cup quarter-final line-up with a 2-1 win in a round-of-16 thriller at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Tuesday.

Clinical finishes from Serhou Guirassy in the 14th and 24th minutes put Dortmund on top at the break but German Berterame hit back for Monterrey in the 48th minute and the Mexican club pressed for an equaliser until the final whistle.

The Dortmund defence held firm, however, to set up a last-eight meeting with 15-times European champions Real Madrid in New Jersey on Saturday.

There will be no reunion for the Bellingham family, however, with a yellow card shown to Dortmund's Jobe in the 28th minute ruling him out of the clash with big brother Jude's Real.

The first 10 minutes of the clash were frenetic with plenty of full-blooded challenges and the first of a string of dangerous long-range shots from Monterrey's Nelson Deossa the best of the early efforts.

Dortmund strike duo Guirassy and Karim Adeyemi took over in the 14th minute with a neat exchange of touches on the edge of the box setting the former free to drill the ball inside the near post.

Monterrey left winger Jesus Corona hit the outside of the post with a cross-shot and another Deossa strike tested goalkeeper Gregor Kobel minutes later but Dortmund soon doubled the lead.

Julian Ryerson won possession with a physical challenge and his long-ball found Adeyemi racing towards goal, the 23-year-old holding up his run before laying the ball on a plate for Guirassy to slot it past goalkeeper Esteban Andrada.

Guirassy should have had a hat-trick before halftime but spurned gilt-edged chances provided by Bellingham and Pascal Gross passes.

Monterrey