Paris Saint-Germain crush Real Madrid 4-0 to reach Club World Cup final
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Paris Saint-Germain's Fabian Ruiz celebrates scoring his team's third goal with Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
- PSG beat Real Madrid 4-0 with Fabian Ruiz scoring twice, securing a Club World Cup final spot against Chelsea.
- Defensive errors and a tactical gamble by Real manager Xabi Alonso contributed to PSG's dominant first-half performance, with goals from Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele.
- Despite the scorching heat, PSG's Ruiz hailed the "incredible match" and "perfect game", while Real failed to threaten, leading to a comprehensive defeat.
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EAST RUTHERFORD – Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique savoured his team’s performance in blowing away Real Madrid on July 9 to reach the Club World Cup final, and urged them to go on and cap a historic season by claiming yet another trophy.
Two goals from Fabian Ruiz either side of an Ousmane Dembele strike, as well as a late effort from substitute Goncalo Ramos, gave PSG an emphatic 4-0 semi-final victory at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium against a Real team who have just started working under new coach Xabi Alonso.
“It is a beautiful victory and we are happy to be in the final,” said the 55-year-old Enrique.
PSG came into the Club World Cup after a campaign in which they won Ligue 1 and the French Cup before thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 to claim the Champions League for the first time in history.
Victory against Chelsea in July 13’s final at the same venue would mean PSG winning every competition they have taken part in this season.
“That is the objective we have had since the beginning, but it is always very difficult to achieve these things – very few teams can do what we are trying to do,” added Enrique.
“We are one game away from making history for Paris and for a French club by winning every competition we have taken part in. That means a lot for us and for our fans.”
PSG have been outstanding in 2025 and are such a well-oiled machine under Enrique that they appear unstoppable, while Alonso took over from Carlo Ancelotti as Real coach just before the tournament in the United States.
“It is a new set-up for them. He has only just come in while we have been working together for two years, so this is normal,” said Enrique, appointed as PSG coach in July 2023, of his Spanish compatriot.
“He needs time to get a pre-season in to work with his team. He can’t be judged. The two situations cannot be compared.”
Enrique also said Dembele had again shown he was a serious candidate to win the Ballon d’Or after the France forward played a starring role in PSG’s victory.
Dembele was starting for the first time at the Club World Cup, having come into the tournament with an injury suffered playing for France in June.
His goal to make it 2-0 was his 35th for PSG in 52 games in all competitions since August 2024.
“For me, when it comes to the Ballon d’Or, I must say that the players who can win it have to not just score goals and set up goals but help their team to win trophies,” Enrique said.
“Ousmane Dembele does those things more than any other player.”
PSG’s Goncalo Ramos scores his team’s fourth goal past Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal and Thibaut Courtois.
PHOTO: AFP
In the other camp, Real will start next season from scratch, Alonso said after his tactical move backfired.
Missing suspended defender Dean Huijsen and the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, he reverted to a four-man defence from the back five that had served them so well earlier in the tournament.
The strategic switch saw tournament sensation Gonzalo Garcia start alongside star forward Kylian Mbappe, who was finally back to full strength after missing much of the competition due to illness, but it failed to pay dividends.
PSG quickly took advantage of Real’s defensive weakness, netting two goals in the first nine minutes, as the La Liga side appeared utterly outclassed.
“We were two goals down and we couldn’t find our footing,” Alonso said.
“It was a painful defeat, we must admit that we were not up to standard today.
“We had some shortcomings at some points and sometimes it’s good to see our mistakes and you can draw lessons for the future.
“We start a new age after a break, with fresh minds.” AFP, REUTERS
