Fabian Ruiz scored twice as European champions Paris Saint-Germain produced a dazzling display to dismantle Real Madrid 4–0 in Wednesday’s semi-final of the Club World Cup, setting up a high-stakes final clash with Chelsea.
The match, held at the MetLife Stadium just outside New York, saw an early onslaught from PSG that silenced the predominantly white-clad crowd of 77,542. Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé struck within the opening nine minutes, stunning Real Madrid and seizing early control of the contest.
Dembele pounced on slack defending by Raul Asencio, the Real ‘keeper saved at the forward’s feet but Ruiz converted the loose ball. Three minutes later, Antonio Rüdiger miscontrolled a routine pass from Jude Bellingham, allowing Dembele to break free and finish coolly into the corner — effectively ending the game before it had begun.
Ruiz added his second before halftime after Achraf Hakimi’s low cross, showing composure to hold off Federico Valverde before slotting home. Substitute Gonçalo Ramos completed the rout late on, firing in PSG’s fourth after a neat turn and finish from a Bradley Barcola assist.
The result capped another statement performance from Luis Enrique’s side, who are now one win away from sealing an extraordinary season that already includes a Ligue 1 title and their first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph.
After crushing Inter Milan 5–0 in the Champions League final — the biggest winning margin in the competition’s history — PSG opened their Club World Cup campaign by sweeping aside Atlético Madrid. Their domination of Real Madrid, another European powerhouse, underscores the team’s evolution into a formidable unit even in the post-Kylian Mbappé era.
Mbappé, now captain of France and leading Real Madrid, made his first tournament start against his former club, but struggled to make an impact. “It was a day to forget” for the forward, who scored a record 256 goals during his time in Paris. Despite hopes of a heroic return, he was largely anonymous against a PSG team that has flourished since his departure.
Real Madrid, under new head coach Xabi Alonso, appeared disjointed and outmatched. Missing key players like Dean Huijsen (suspension) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (injury), their attacking trio of Vinicius Jr., Gonzalo Garcia, and Mbappé failed to test PSG’s defence. Alonso’s decision to substitute Bellingham and Vinicius after the hour mark signaled an early concession of defeat.
Despite being without suspended defender Willian Pacho, PSG remained unshaken. Lucas Beraldo slotted seamlessly into the backline as the French side continued to display tactical fluency and cohesion across all areas of the pitch.
Victory over Chelsea in Sunday’s final would mark a historic treble for PSG and crown them champions of FIFA’s inaugural 32-team Club World Cup — a feat that would cap their most successful campaign to date.
AFP
