Paris Saint-Germain cruised into the FIFA Club World Cup final with an emphatic 4-0 crushing of Real Madrid, ending Xabi Alonso’s unbeaten start in the dugout after six games.
The majority of those packed inside the MetLife Stadium were backing Los Blancos, with a sea of white shirts around the stands. However, those fans were left shellshocked following a calamitous start, after their side gifted the European champions two goals inside the opening nine minutes. Raúl Asencio was caught dawdling in possession and intercepted by Ousmane Dembélé, who was brought down by Thibaut Courtois before Fabián Ruiz slotted home the loose ball. Real’s shambolic defending came to the fore again three minutes later, when Antonio Rüdiger mishit a pass, allowing Dembélé to pounce and slot a clinical left-footed finish past Courtois.
Confidence was flowing through this PSG side, as Achraf Hakimi flashed a long-range attempt wide. The Morrocan would soon claim an assist at the end of a wonderful free-flowing move, playing the ball across for Ruiz to score his second and the French side’s third. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should have rubbed salt into Real’s gaping wounds before the break, but agonisingly fired wide of the far post.
Alonso would have been alarmed at the ease in which his side were being carved open, as the Parisians had the ball in the back of the net shortly after the restart through Désiré Doué. However, Real’s blushes were spared following a marginal offside call. The Spaniards were showing marginal signs of improvement, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was largely a spectator between the sticks. Kylian Mbappé would have been eager to prove a point in his first match against his former employers, but the Frenchman rifled a long-effort harmlessly over the bar.
PSG were looking for a fourth when Hakimi threaded in a pass towards Gonçalo Ramos, who fired wide from a tight angle. Éder Militão had a chance to add some respectability to the scoreline late on with a speculative strike, but Luis Enrique’s men would have the last word. Bradley Barcola showed some exceptional footwork inside the box to tee up Ramos, who was coolness personified in dispatching his shot beyond Courtois.
The Parisians have now kept clean sheets in each of their last five knockout games in all competitions, and can now look forward to a tussle with Chelsea in Sunday’s final. Judging by today’s display, the French and European champions will be heavy favourites to become the inaugural winners of this revamped competition.
