EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) stormed into the Club World Cup final with a stunning 4-0 win over Real Madrid on Wednesday, thanks to a commanding first-half performance led by Fabián Ruiz, who scored twice. Chelsea will be faced by the French champions in the final.
PSG took full advantage of two early mistakes from Madrid at MetLife Stadium. Raúl Asencio’s poor touch in the sixth minute gave Ousmane Dembélé the chance to intercept and attack.. His initial shot was stopped by Thibaut Courtois, but Ruiz followed up and calmly slotted the rebound into the empty goal.
Just three minutes later, Antonio Rüdiger gave the ball away cheaply, and Dembélé charged into the box, finishing neatly past Courtois to double PSG’s lead.
In the 24th minute, Ruiz grabbed his second. Achraf Hakimi sprinted skillfully along the right flank, while Ruiz used a smart feint to shake his defender and finish neatly from short distance.
Late in the game, substitute Gonçalo Ramos added PSG’s fourth, sealing a dominant performance. Real Madrid had a tough time throughout the match and barely posed any danger near PSG’s goal.
“It was an amazing performance in tough conditions,” said Ruiz, who was named man of the match. “Even with the intense heat, we played at a high level and beat a great team.This victory is really important for us.
Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso’s tactical decisions didn’t work out as planned. Without key players Dean Huijsen (suspended) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (injured), Alonso switched from a five-man to a four-man defense, but the change failed to contain PSG’s attacking power.
We began badly and paid the price,” Alonso said to DAZN. “It’s frustrating, but we need to take lessons from it. PSG have had time to build this team, while we are still getting started. This match gave us lessons to grow from.”
PSG, who recently defeated Inter Milan 5-0 to win the Champions League, started strongly and kept pressure on throughout. Dembélé nearly scored early with a curling shot, but Courtois made a superb save. He later denied Ruiz again with another quick reflex stop.However, Madrid had no answers as PSG surged to a three-goal lead before halftime and could have scored more. The game continued to be dominated by PSG in the second half.
Potential fifth goal from Désiré Doué was disallowed for offside. Madrid never found their rhythm, and Ramos added the final blow, wrapping up a one-sided match that sent PSG through in style.
