Paris Saint-Germain delivered a ruthless performance to dismantle Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday, securing their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final against Chelsea.
Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz led the charge with two first-half goals in a commanding display at MetLife Stadium.
PSG were gifted the opening two goals within the first nine minutes, capitalizing on glaring defensive blunders.
In the sixth minute, Raul Asencio’s clumsy touch handed possession to Ousmane Dembele, whose initial strike was parried by Thibaut Courtois. Ruiz reacted quickly to slot home the rebound into an empty net.
Just three minutes later, a sloppy pass from Antonio Ruediger set Dembele free inside the box, and the winger made no mistake with a composed finish past Courtois.
Ruiz doubled his tally in the 24th minute, finishing off a brilliant move initiated by Achraf Hakimi down the right flank.
The Spaniard shrugged off Asencio’s challenge with a neat feint before calmly finishing from close range.
Goncalo Ramos came off the bench to pile further misery on Madrid, netting PSG’s fourth in the 87th minute. Real offered little going forward and looked completely out of their depth against the reigning French champions.
“It was an incredible match, brilliant win,” Ruiz told DAZN after being named player of the match.
“Even under scorching heat, such difficult conditions to play in midday, the team responded really well and it’s an achievement to be proud of.
“We made a perfect game and beat a top-level rival like Real Madrid in a great way. It’s job well done.”
Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso saw his tactical shift fall flat. With defender Dean Huijsen suspended and Trent Alexander-Arnold sidelined through injury, Alonso ditched his reliable five-man defense for a four-man backline, a decision that proved disastrous against PSG’s relentless front line.
PSG, still buzzing from their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in last month’s Champions League final, sensed Madrid’s vulnerability from kickoff.
Dembele nearly opened the scoring just four minutes in with a curling effort, only to be denied by Courtois’ stunning one-handed save.
The Belgian keeper produced another excellent stop moments later, this time from a close-range Ruiz strike.
Despite Courtois’ early heroics, PSG couldn’t be stopped. They had several more chances to widen the gap before halftime, dominating proceedings.
Real Madrid made no substitutions at the break and failed to mount any meaningful response.
PSG maintained their grip on the match, with Desire Doue seeing a goal ruled out for offside.
In the end, Donnarumma remained untroubled, and Ramos capped off a dominant showing with a late goal, sealing PSG’s emphatic victory.
