Paris Saint-Germain delivered an emphatic statement by sweeping aside Real Madrid with a stunning 4-0 victory in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup, setting up a blockbuster final clash against Chelsea. In an electric encounter at MetLife Stadium near New York, Fabian Ruiz was the hero of the night with a brace, while Ousmane Dembele and Goncalo Ramos added to Real’s misery in what turned out to be a nightmare reunion with Kylian Mbappe for Los Blancos.
Ruiz opened the scoring after just six minutes, capitalising on Real’s defensive lapses. Moments later, Dembele pounced on another Madrid mistake to double the lead, leaving the majority of the 77,000-strong crowd stunned. PSG’s relentless press and fluid attack highlighted the contrast to Real Madrid’s disjointed play under new boss Xabi Alonso, who admitted post-match that his side has plenty to work on.
By halftime, Ruiz had struck again, slotting home after fine work by Achraf Hakimi down the right wing. Real Madrid’s strike force featuring Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Gonzalo Garcia failed to test Gianluigi Donnarumma, who remained largely untroubled throughout the match. Despite Thibaut Courtois making a pair of excellent early saves, he could do little to stop the wave of PSG goals.
The final blow came late in the game when Ramos latched onto a pass from substitute Bradley Barcola, turned sharply, and slotted home PSG’s fourth goal to complete a ruthless display. The result cements PSG’s ambition to complete a historic season, having already secured the Ligue 1 title and their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy earlier this year.
Luis Enrique praised his side’s relentless form and urged them to make history in Sunday’s final against Chelsea. Meanwhile, Real Madrid will be left to regroup after a humbling exit from the inaugural expanded Club World Cup. For Mbappe, facing his former club proved to be a day to forget as he struggled to make an impact on his first start in the competition since leaving Paris.
PSG now look to cap off a near-perfect campaign with yet another piece of silverware and are clear favourites to lift the trophy after blowing past Europe’s elite with ease.
