Club World Cup XI: Quarterfinal drama serves up pair of tasty semis - Chelsea vs Fluminense, PSG vs Real Madrid - even if questions remain about tournament overall

Here's a question you never thought you'd ask: is Kylian Mbappe a guaranteed starter for Real Madrid under Xabi Alonso? The answer is a resounding "probably." But it's not a definitive yes. And that's because of a slightly awkward 21-year-old from the Madrid academy. Gonzalo Garcia is a curious character off the pitch, nervous with the media, a stream of cliches in front of cameras. He's shy.

But on the grass in the quarterfinals at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, he ran around like he owned it. Garcia covered every blade of the attacking third for Madrid, scored the first goal, and made a crucial run to allow space for the second. He is certainly the No. 9 that Madrid didn't want to have to spend big in the transfer market to acquire. The question, now, becomes: should he be in the starting XI every week?

That might be an easier call if Mbappe didn't insist on scoring a wonderful goal in second half stoppage time on Saturday. This is the thing with the Frenchman. He does a whole lot of nothing for his 30 minutes after coming on as a sub. And then he does, well, that, an unreal bicycle kick to ice the game. How can you drop this guy?

We're all Fluminense, aren't we lads? Who knows. But it felt vitally important to the integrity of the competition to have at least one South American team in the semis, especially for their raucous fanbase. And Fluminense are the chosen ones. In fairness, they have also probably had the easiest route, and will face a real step up in quality when they take on Chelsea. But it's wonderful that they're in the mix.

A word on Fluminense's opponent, though, who have very quietly been quite good for a few weeks. Flamengo may have done a number on Enzo Maresca's side back in the group stages, but that seems like a world away now, and the Blues are humming just in time for the semis. They didn't ever look too threatened against Palmeiras - an Estevao moment of magic notwithstanding - and will go into the clash with another Brazilian side as clear favorites.

The angle at which Jamal Musiala's ankle was turned does not need revisiting nor intellectualizing. But his broken tibia and ligament damage rounded off what was a miserable evening for the Bavarians. They played quite well against PSG, and gave as good as they got for most of the first half.

But you could see the impact Musiala's injury had on the players in the second half. They were shaken up at best, and outright angry at worst (Manuel Neuer even blamed Gianluigi Donnarumma for an injury that was entirely accidental). It's a shame, really. Everything seemed set up for a classic second half, in which both teams might take the handbrake off. Instead, Bayern went quietly.

PSG did their job to make it interesting, though. They went down to nine men in a quite remarkable act of almost self-sabotage. Seriously, why did William Pacho need to put in that tackle? Why did his presumptive backup, Lucas Hernandez, do the same?

Two red in the dying minutes will infuriate Luis Enrique, who has had the luxury of being able to use the same XI for most of this season. Now, he will have to do a bit of tinkering against (checks notes) Real Madrid. No way that can go wrong!

Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZN

Stream now

Niko Kovac first voiced his concerns about the pitches before the tournament. Luis Enrique has harped on about the fields and the heat for weeks. After winning the game with a miraculous last second save, the first thing Thibaut Courtois did was vent about the heat.

Welcome to the CWC, where the semis are going to be played mid-afternoon in the middle of the American summer - temperatures at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. are expected to soar past 90 degrees for both matches. Someone, somewhere, thought this was a good idea. Unclear who. Either way, get ready for every complaint and excuse under the (very hot) sun this week.

It was the thing that everyone was waiting to have a go at. It is a miracle that for 58 matches, there wasn't a serious major knock. A few muscles were pulled. A lot of players complained about the heat. But that one dreadful injury - the torn ACL, ruptured achilles or broken leg - stayed elusive, and silenced a few would-be critics.

Now, it's here, and Musiala's injury has handed plenty of ammunition to people who don't like the very concept of the Club World Cup.

Context is everything. Injuries can happen anytime. Thibaut Courtois tore his Meniscus in training last year. A slip, trip or awkward landing, and months can be lost. Major tournaments bring other issues. Lucas Hernandez ruptured knee ligaments at the 2022 World Cup. Federico Chiesa - then on the rise to stardom - picked up a serious injury for Italy at Euro 2020. That won't matter of course.

The haters now have their reason to complain.

There is no automatic implementation of the validity of a sporting event. Fans, journalists and the wider football sphere cast judgement as to whether something is "good." Reputations build, and that's what gives a competition value. The Champions League was made up by a newspaper. MLS was thrown together around the 1994 World Cup.

In 20 years, the CWC might really mean something. Perhaps part of that will come from great performances, memorable moments, and individual iterations of quality that fans can reflect on.

Well, Thiago Silva might have already pieced one together. The Brazilian center back is 40-years-old now, and might have been the player of the tournament. Will that be enough to make this whole thing worth it? Probably not. But the chances are his performances will be reflected on wonderfully.

This could all turn out to be a bit disappointing. Glance at World Cups throughout the years, and very few remember the good runs - especially if they end in failure. Wales at Euro 2016 were good fun. Ghana surpassed expectations at the 2010 World Cup. Costa Rica won a couple of penalty shootouts in 2014.

Ultimately, tournaments that finish with the predicted winners lifting the trophy are a bit underwhelming. Sure, some might reflect fondly on a Fluminense run - if it indeed ends here - but PSG rolling their way through feels like something of a slight disappointment. Is another Desire Doue final masterclass inevitable?

Football doesn't come together often enough. There are too many tribal lines, too many disagreements. Everyone argues about refs or says something salacious about a signing. Why can't we all just be friends?

Well, the whole thing was united in tragedy last week when Liverpool's Diogo Jota and his brother Andre passed away in a car crash. There is no spinning this, but in the worst of circumstances, it has been truly remarkable to see how players of all teams have come together to pay tribute at the CWC, from pre-match emotions to celebrations to post-game tributes. Some things really are bigger than football.