Fifa have cut standard ticket prices for the Club World Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Brazilian side Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Tuesday to $13.40 (€11.40) from $473.90 (€402.50).
Fifa has used dynamic pricing for the 63-game tournament.
Standard ticket prices for Wednesday’s semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in New Jersey start at $199.60 (€169.50).
Fifa also dropped ticket prices for Fluminense’s 2-1 win over Al Hilal in Friday’s quarter-final in Orlando, and Chelsea’s last eight fixture against Palmeiras in Philadelphia on Saturday to $11.15 (€9.80). The dramatic price decreases were first reported by the Athletic.
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Many matches during the tournament have had sparse crowds with Real Madrid’s being an exception. The Spanish club have drawn crowds of at least 60,000 for all five of their matches in the tournament to date, including 76,611 for their quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund in New Jersey on Saturday.
Real’s 3-2 win came despite a late red card for Dean Huijsen, setting up a reunion for talisman Kylian Mbappé with his former club, PSG.
Xabi Alonso’s Madrid looked entirely in control for the vast majority of the match, until a remarkable stoppage time made things nervy and Thibaut Courtois’s last-gasp save preserved the victory.
Gonzalo García had opened the scoring for Real in the 10th minute, claiming his fourth goal of the tournament, before left-back Fran García added a second to make it 2-0 10 minutes later.
As Madrid cruised to what seemed like a sure victory, Maximilian Beier hit back two minutes into stoppage time, setting off a frantic final few minutes at MetLife Stadium.
Mbappé, who missed the early part of the tournament after he was hospitalised with gastroenteritis, provided the game’s signature moment in those memorable final minutes, hanging in the air to meet a cross with a sideways scissor kick from close range that flew past Dortmund’s goalkeeper, Gregor Kobel, and into the back of the net, delighting the near-capacity crowd.
Huijsen’s infringement in the box, pulling down Serhou Guirassy to draw his sending off, ended with the French man finding the net from the penalty spot, but Courtois ensured there was to be no late equaliser for the German giants, Real pressing on to the semi-finals.
For Chelsea, Cole Palmer was again on target to give his side an early lead, but an inspired effort from Estêvão, who is set to join the London club after the tournament, had the sides level shortly after the break.
An error from Palmeriras’ Weverton seven minutes from time ultimately sealed Chelsea’s win; a deflected cross from Gusto somehow deceiving the goalkeeper and bobbling in.
And in Atlanta, a nine-man PSG eased past Bayern Munich to reach the penultimate stage. Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembéle the goal scorers while Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernández saw red.
The game was marred by a serious injury for Bayern forward Jamal Musiala. The 22-year-old was stretchered off following a collision with PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with the German club later confirming Musiala sustained a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle.
Bayern confirmed Musiala travelled to Munich on Sunday where he will undergo surgery.
Speaking after the match, Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer described Donnarumma’s challenge on Musiala as “reckless”. – Guardian
