Paris Saint-Germain demolished Real Madrid in the Club World Cup semi-final, putting three past the Spanish side in the first half before adding a fourth late on. Luis Enrique’s men will now face Maresca’s Chelsea on Sunday for the trophy.
The match ignited immediately, with Real Madrid stunned by a quick-fire double blow. Courtois denied Fabian Ruiz and Nuno Mendes early, but in the sixth minute, the Belgian could do nothing as Dembélé dispossessed Asensio and was brought down by Courtois. While a penalty seemed inevitable, Fabian Ruiz pounced on the loose ball to open the scoring.
Just three minutes later, a disastrous clearance from Rüdiger gifted Dembélé the ball, and the Frenchman made no mistake, drilling in a low strike to make it 2-0. Real Madrid attempted to find a response, but PSG struck again in the 24th minute as Hakimi broke down the flank and found Fabian Ruiz in the box for his second of the night. Vinicius and Mbappé were ineffective, and in stoppage time, Courtois was forced to deny Nuno Mendes to prevent a fourth before the break.
In the second half, Real Madrid tried to reshuffle, bringing on Militão, Modrić, and Brahim for Bellingham, Asensio, and Vinicius. Dani Carvajal made his return from a serious knee injury suffered in October 2024, but PSG remained in control. The Parisians sealed the win with a fourth goal as Barcola slipped a pass through to Gonçalo Ramos, who turned and fired past Courtois to complete a dominant display.