Paris Saint-Germain delivered a stunning performance to dismantle Real Madrid and book their place in the FIFA Club World Cup final, where they’ll face Chelsea at the MetLife Stadium.
According to the BBC, the match brought a sudden end to Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten start as Real Madrid manager, halting his six-game winning streak in spectacular fashion.
Despite being outnumbered in the stands, as SoftFootball confirmed that the majority of fans at the stadium were cheering for Los Blancos, it was PSG who silenced the crowd with a breathtaking start.
Real Madrid were two goals down within the first nine minutes, thanks to a chaotic spell of defensive errors. Raúl Asensio was caught dwelling on the ball, allowing Ousmane Dembélé to pounce.
The Frenchman surged forward and was brought down by Thibaut Courtois, but the ball rolled kindly into the path of Fabián Ruiz, who calmly slotted home the opener.
Just three minutes later, Antonio Rüdiger was guilty of a similar blunder. His misplaced pass found Dembélé again, and this time, the PSG winger made no mistake, finishing off the move himself to double the lead.
Real Madrid looked stunned and struggled to respond as Desire Doue, Dembélé, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia continued to stretch their defence. Achraf Hakimi, constantly a threat down the right, nearly got on the scoresheet with a fierce effort that went just wide.
But he would later play provider, delivering a perfectly placed cross for Ruiz, who added his second of the night and PSG’s third before half-time.
Although Madrid improved slightly after the break, PSG’s dominance never really waned, and the French champions sealed the rout with a fourth goal, putting the result beyond doubt.
SoftFootball previously reported that Chelsea secured their spot in the final after beating Fluminense, with João Pedro starring in that game. The Blues will now face a PSG side brimming with confidence and firepower.
Will Chelsea win their second Club World Cup title, or will PSG lift the trophy for the first time in their history? The countdown has begun.
