Fabian Ruiz scored twice as European champions Paris Saint-Germain turned on the style in their reunion with Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday, thrashing Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals of the Club World Cup to set up a final showdown with Chelsea.
Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele scored inside the opening nine minutes to stun Real Madrid and silence the majority of the 77,542 crowd at the MetLife Stadium outside New York.
The Spanish midfielder added another before half-time, and Goncalo Ramos netted a late fourth as Luis Enrique’s side moved one game away from glory at FIFA’s new tournament.
Victory against Chelsea on Sunday would complete a remarkable campaign for PSG, who won the French title and claimed their first-ever UEFA Champions League trophy in May.
After a record-breaking 5-0 win against Inter Milan in the Champions League final, PSG continued their dominance by putting four past Atletico Madrid in the Club World Cup quarter-finals. Their ease in dispatching Real Madrid was striking.
PSG’s fluid attacking play contrasted sharply with Real Madrid, who are still finding their rhythm under new coach Xabi Alonso. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe struggled to make an impact on his first start at the tournament and first match against his former club since leaving PSG a year ago.
The France captain had hoped for a better result against the club where he scored a record 256 goals. The defeat is a major setback for Real Madrid, who were aiming to win the first expanded 32-team Club World Cup to add to their record 15 European Cups.
PSG, however, have shown impressive growth without Mbappe and now look like a formidable unit. They are widely expected to overcome Chelsea in the final.
Luis Enrique’s team was without key defender Willian Pacho due to suspension, but Lucas Beraldo stepped in seamlessly in defence, while the rest of PSG’s first-choice lineup was available.
Real Madrid, missing defender Dean Huijsen through suspension and Trent Alexander-Arnold due to injury, struggled from the start. The return of Mbappe to the starting XI, after missing the group stage due to illness, didn’t help their cause as young striker Gonzalo Garcia retained his place. However, their attacking trio, including Vinicius Junior, failed to trouble PSG’s defence.
Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made two excellent saves in the opening minutes, first stopping a Ruiz shot and then denying Nuno Mendes from close range. However, he couldn’t stop PSG from scoring in the sixth minute when Dembele capitalised on a defensive mistake by Raul Asencio. Courtois blocked Dembele’s effort, but Ruiz slotted in the rebound.
Three minutes later, the match was effectively over. Antonio Rudiger miscontrolled a simple pass from Jude Bellingham, allowing Dembele to run through and finish low into the net.
Dembele, making his first appearance at the tournament after recovering from injury, marked his 34th club goal since August, strengthening his case for the Ballon d’Or.
PSG extended their lead midway through the first half. After a deflected shot from Mbappe was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG regained possession and launched a swift attack. Dembele set up Achraf Hakimi, who squared for Ruiz to finish calmly.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia nearly added a fourth before halftime, and Desire Doue had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half.
With no sign of a comeback, Alonso substituted Bellingham and Vinicius after the hour mark. PSG sealed the emphatic win in the 87th minute when Goncalo Ramos controlled a pass from Bradley Barcola, turned, and fired into the net.
Paris Saint-Germain will now face Chelsea in the final as they aim to complete a historic treble-winning season.
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