Paris Saint-Germain has progressed to the final of the Club World Cup, where they will face Chelsea, following a fantastic 4-0 thrashing against Real Madrid.
As the opening minutes got underway at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, fans in attendance and watching at home prepared themselves for a tasty back-and-forth contest. However, this semi-final contest soon became a formality for 2024/25 Champions League winners, PSG, who pinned Xabi Alonso's side back and took the lead just six minutes into the match.
Having produced a handful of wonderful saves early on, notably from Ousmane Dembélé and Fabian Ruiz, there was nothing Thibaut Courtois could do when Raul Asencio was caught ball-watching in his box. As Dembélé removed the ball off the Spaniard's feet, the Frenchman was tackled to the ground in what would have been a penalty if not for Ruiz, who was there to tuck the loose ball into an empty Madrid net.
From then on, it became domination. Another calamity for Madrid's defence saw Antonio Rudiger mis-kick the ball, and Dembélé made no mistake in capitalising, as he took the ball, ran with it and slotted past a helpless Courtois. Proving they don't just capitalise on errors, PSG's third came following some sumptuous football in which Ruiz bagged his second of the night, striking into the bottom right corner for 3-0 just 24 minutes into the match.
Then onwards, PSG controlled the game. Attacking as and when they wanted, they limited Madrid to just one shot on target and 23% possession, in what was a woeful half for the 15-time Champions League winners.
A predictably quiet second half ensued, with PSG not needing to exert too much energy, and Madrid needing to get men behind the ball. Regardless, it was PSG who nearly struck first, as Desire Doue put in a fourth goal for the Parisians, but Madrid's blushes were spared by the offside flag.
However, it would soon be four. As PSG continued to take their foot off the gas, and Madrid provided no answers to PSG's questions, Luis Enrique's substitutes combined to sink Madrid hearts. As Bradley Barcola appeared to have a routine finish, a mix-up cost him a goal, but his electric feet and quick-thinking saw him lay off Gonçalo Ramos, who turned and finished fantastically, meaning PSG left the MetLife Stadium 4–0 winners, securing themselves a spot in the FIFA Club World Cup final.
PSG 4–0 Real Madrid Match Statistics
PSG
68
17
7
3
2
1
Match Highlights
Paris Saint-Germain Player Ratings
Formation: 4-3-3
Fabian Ruiz PSG
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6.5
A quiet night for the Italian, who will enjoy a game away from the headlines.
RB: Achraf Hakimi - 7.5
A perfect pass for Ruiz's second, a solid performance by the fullback.
CB: Marquinhos - 6.5
A rating that is not due to performance, but down to lack of input on what was a routine night for the captain.
CB: Lucas Beraldo - 6.5
A simple performance that required nothing extreme.
LB: Nuno Mendes - 7.5
Caused trouble down the flank, with a 100% success rate on dribbles and shots.
CM: Joao Neves - 7.0
A solid defensive display, with eight recoveries and a 100% tackle success rate.
CM: Vitinha - 7.0
A metronome in the middle, with 105 passes on the night.
CM: Fabian Ruiz - 9.0
Two fantastic goals, on a night that could have ended in a hat-trick.
RW: Desire Doue - 7.0
Scored although it was offside, it was a quiet night for the youngster.
ST: Ousmane Dembélé - 9.0 - Player of the Match
Continued incredible form with a goal and an assist, strengthened his Ballon d'Or charge.
LW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia - 7.5
Was a menace on the ball, and defensively astute as well.
SUB: Gonçalo Ramos - 7.5
Produced a fantastic touch, turn and goal in a well-taken chance.
SUB: Bradley Barcola - 7.0
Saved what appeared to be a fumbled chance with his quick feet, providing Ramos with a lovely assist.
SUB: Senny Maylulu - 6.0
Another good run out for the 19-year-old.
SUB: Warren Zaire-Emery - 6.0
A routine substitute performance with nothing of note.
SUB: Kang-In Lee - 6.5
He was a lively asset despite just 11 minutes on the pitch.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Formation: 4-3-3
Kylian Mbappe
GK: Thibaut Courtois - 6.0
Made some incredible saves, and was let down by his defence at times, but still conceded four.
RB: Federico Valverde - 5.5
A tricky night for the makeshift right back, who was the least worrying member of a shaky backline.
CB: Antonio Rüdiger - 4.0
Similarly to Asencio, he made an error leading to a goal and never recovered.
CB: Raul Asencio - 4.0
An error led to PSG's first goal and he never regained his composure.
LB: Francisco Garcia - 5.5
Dribbled past three times, in what was a hard night for the fullback
RCM: Arda Güler - 5.5
Couldn't get a foothold in the game, despite 46 touches.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni - 5.5
Yellow carded early on, in what was a sign of things to come. A forgettable performance.
LCM: Jude Bellingham - 6.0
A bright spark on a dull night. Tried to get things going, but it wasn't enough.
RW: Vinícius Júnior - 5.5
Never got going, and was limited to just four touches in PSG's box. A quiet night by the Brazilian's lofty standards.
ST: Gonzalo Garcia - 5.0
A sour end to a fantastic tournament, lost seven duels.
LW: Kylian Mbappé - 5.0
Not willing to press, he seemed unbothered at times. A worryingly poor performance.
SUB: Luka Modrić - 5.0
A sad way to go out, in what was his final Real Madrid game, and it is one to forget.
SUB: Brahim Diaz - 5.0
Another quiet bench cameo, with Alonso's subs proving inefficient on the night.
SUB: Eder Militao - 5.5
A decent enough cameo off the bench, but still without a clean sheet.
SUB: Dani Carvajal - 5.0
Yellow carded two minutes after coming on in his first game since October 2024.
SUB: Lucas Vázquez - 5.0
An uneventful cameo.
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