Fabian Ruiz struck twice as Paris Saint-Germain delivered a stunning 4-0 demolition of Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup on Wednesday, setting up a highly anticipated final showdown with Chelsea.
Playing at the MetLife Stadium outside New York in front of 77,542 fans—most clad in white—PSG silenced the crowd with a dazzling display of dominance. Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé scored within the first nine minutes to leave Real reeling, before Ruiz added a second just before half-time. Gonçalo Ramos completed the rout late on as Luis Enrique’s men marched into the final with confidence and swagger.
The French giants, already crowned Ligue 1 champions and UEFA Champions League winners this season, are now one victory away from completing a historic treble. Sunday’s final against Chelsea offers the chance to cap off a campaign of unprecedented success.
Fresh off a record-breaking 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final and a 4-1 victory over Atlético Madrid in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, PSG’s path to the final has been nothing short of emphatic. Their latest triumph exposed the growing pains of Xabi Alonso’s new-look Real Madrid, who struggled throughout the match.
Making his first start of the tournament, Kylian Mbappé was reunited with his former club but failed to make an impact. The France captain, who left PSG a year ago after becoming their all-time leading scorer with 256 goals, found himself on the periphery as his old team dominated from start to finish.
Madrid, hoping to claim the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup and add to their record 15 European titles, were overrun from the outset. They were without defenders Dean Huijsen (suspended) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (injured), while Mbappé returned from illness but couldn’t lift the side.
PSG wasted no time asserting themselves. Thibaut Courtois produced two fine saves early on—one to deny Ruiz, another from close range against Nuno Mendes—but the pressure was relentless. In the 6th minute, slack defending from Raul Asencio allowed Dembélé in. Courtois made the initial save, but Ruiz was on hand to bury the rebound.
Just three minutes later, Antonio Rüdiger’s poor control from a Jude Bellingham pass gifted Dembélé the chance to race clear and slot home PSG’s second. It was a 34th goal of the season for the in-form winger, now a legitimate Ballon d’Or contender.
Midway through the first half, PSG struck again. After Donnarumma easily claimed a deflected Mbappé shot, Paris transitioned swiftly. Dembélé fed Achraf Hakimi, whose low cross was met by Ruiz, who calmly outmuscled Fede Valverde before firing in his second.
PSG continued to threaten. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia went close before halftime, while Désiré Doué had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half. Real had no response, and Alonso signaled surrender when he substituted Bellingham and Vinícius Jr. just after the hour.
The final blow came in the 87th minute. Substitute Bradley Barcola slid a pass into Ramos, who turned sharply and fired beyond Courtois to seal a resounding victory.
As PSG look ahead to Sunday’s final against Chelsea, they do so as favourites—having shown that even without Mbappé, they are a more cohesive, formidable force than ever.
