By Sachit Subba • Football • Jul 10, 2025 01:55 AM • 85 views
Paris Saint-Germain didn't just beat Real Madrid—they humiliated them. Under the blistering heat of a July afternoon at MetLife Stadium, the reigning French champions dismantled the mighty Spanish giants with clinical precision, cruising to a 4-0 semifinal win that sent them into the Club World Cup final against Chelsea. Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz orchestrated the demolition, scoring twice in a rampant first half as PSG capitalised on defensive blunders and showcased a brand of high-tempo, high-pressure football that Real Madrid simply couldn't live with. "It was an incredible match, a brilliant win," Ruiz told DAZN after picking up the Man of the Match award. "Even under such difficult conditions, the team responded really well. We beat a top-level rival in a great way. It's a job well done."
Nightmare Start for Madrid
Real Madrid's unravelling began almost immediately. In just the sixth minute, Raul Asencio's sloppy first touch handed the ball to Ousmane Dembélé. Though Thibaut Courtois stopped Dembélé's initial shot, the rebound fell kindly to Ruiz, who tapped into an empty net to ignite PSG's charge.
Things went from bad to worse three minutes later when Antonio Rüdiger mishit a simple pass, allowing Dembélé to glide through the backline and slot home PSG's second with clinical composure.
PSG, still riding high from their 5-0 Champions League final thrashing of Inter Milan, showed no signs of slowing down. In the 24th minute, Achraf Hakimi surged down the right flank before squaring to Ruiz, who danced past Asencio and guided home his second goal of the night.
By halftime, Real were staring at the abyss. And they didn't blink.
Alonso's Gamble Fails
Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso, missing key defenders Dean Huijsen (suspended) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (injured), took a bold risk by reverting to a four-man defence—a decision that proved catastrophic. The formation offered little resistance against PSG's wide overloads, with Dembélé and Hakimi wreaking havoc throughout.
"It's not the feeling we wanted," Alonso admitted post-match. "The 2-0 setback at the start was hard to recover from. We'll take lessons from today."
But PSG weren't finished.
Gonçalo Ramos, coming off the bench, capped the rout in the 87th minute with a neat finish following another defensive lapse, adding a fourth goal that sealed Madrid's heaviest defeat in recent memory.
Statement Victory Ahead of Final
This was more than just a win for Luis Enrique's PSG—it was a warning. The French side looked every inch a continental powerhouse, and with Kylian Mbappé back in the starting XI after illness, they appear fully loaded for their showdown against Chelsea. Even with Desire Doué having a goal ruled out for offside and Courtois producing world-class saves early on, PSG could have scored six or seven. Real Madrid, meanwhile, never mustered a single shot on target in the second half. Gianluigi Donnarumma could've watched from the sidelines and still kept a clean sheet. Alonso, trying to find silver linings, remained philosophical. "This is the end of our season, not the beginning of next year," he said. "We've only been together for three weeks. It takes time." For PSG, the time is now. And if their semifinal statement is any indication, Chelsea better come prepared.
Club World Cup Final:
PSG vs Chelsea – Saturday, July 13,
MetLife Stadium, New Jersey
Kickoff: 8:30 PM local / 6:15 AM (Nepal Time)
