It takes some doing to reduce Real Madrid’s side of superstars to resembling a steaming pile of amateurs, but then, Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain are just that good.
They were as irrepressible as in the Champions League final they won 5-0 over Inter Milan. They are the best in Europe. Now, they want to rule the world.
Where Xabi Alonso failed, Enzo Maresca must try to succeed, with it on Chelsea to prevent PSG from winning the Club World Cup here at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey this Sunday.
You have to wonder whether Maresca’s squad chose to spend their scheduled free day in Manhattan watching what is coming for them. They will have already known they were the underdogs, especially if they end up without Moises Caicedo in midfield after his ankle injury.
It will be the Champions League winners versus the Conference League winners, and for the Blues to triumph, only perfection will do unless they wish to be overpowered.
Raul Asencio and Antonio Rudiger discovered that here, each Real centre back punished by his own carelessness in possession. That gave PSG their two-goal lead within nine minutes, Ousmane Dembele twice stealing the ball from them as he scored one himself and set up Fabian Ruiz for the other. Ruiz got their third when PSG passed their way from back to front, before Goncalo Ramos completed this scoreline late in the second half.
For all their Galacticos – Kylian Mbappe started for the first time at this Club World Cup – Real did not resemble a team.
Real Madrid were swept aside by Champions League winners PSG in what was a humbling evening for Jude Bellingham and his team-mates
Fabian Ruiz celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal in what eventually became a rout
Luis Enrique’s side were simply far too powerful, clinical and dominant throughout
Certainly, they were nowhere near as coherent as their counterparts, though Alonso reasoned afterwards: ‘This is a PSG team that has been well established. It is still early days for us. We want to build a team that plays as a unit. We were one match away from the final and it was painful. Let’s see what happens now.’
This was also an unfortunate way for Luka Modric’s career with Real to come to a close. However, Alonso said: ‘Luka will not be remembered for today’s match. He will be remembered for many other great matches. He is a football icon globally. He will go down in history for many more positive things than the 25 minutes he played today.’
Enrique added: ‘We are in a special moment and we have to win. We are going to try against a good team like Chelsea. Now it’s time for us to prepare and recover. We are almost there. We want to make history with our club and then go on holiday.’
The start of this semi-final was delayed by 10 minutes due to the traffic outside of the MetLife, which is a £1billion arena plonked in the middle of a massive car park in New Jersey. For the PSG fans being baked in the 34C heat, it was worth the wait. For their counterparts, less so.
Thibaut Courtois produced perhaps the save of this Club World Cup in Real’s quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund when he prevented Marcel Sabitzer from sending that match into extra time. Courtois rivalled that stop when Dembele thought he had a six-yard tap-in after Achraf Hakimi’s cross. That chance came after Courtois had already denied Ruiz’s drive.
But Courtois could not stop everything, and certainly not his own team-mate’s mistakes.
In the sixth minute, a lackadaisical touch from Asencio allowed Dembele to pinch possession from him. PSG’s striker was cleaned out by Courtois, but there was no need to call for a penalty as Ruiz was right next to it to tap into the gaping goal for 1-0.
Asencio was then upstaged by his defensive partner Rudiger, who produced an air kick when trying to play a pass. That allowed Dembele to sprint clear and, one on one with Courtois, he secured his 35th goal of the season for 2-0 after nine minutes.
Kylian Mbappe endured an unhappy day out against his former club in New Jersey
On the basis of his current team’s performance, Mbappe may go to bed wishing he chose not to leave the French capital
PSG’s reward for such an impressive performance is a final against Chelsea on Sunday
After 23 minutes, it was 3-0. There was a one-two between Dembele and Hakimi, who crossed into the centre. Ruiz took a touch and used Federico Valverde as a shield as he buried the ball into the bottom corner beyond the helpless Courtois.
Mbappe, facing his old employers, took a tumble in the area when Joao Neves won the ball from him. It was a clean challenge, if a little aggressive, and never a penalty.
PSG came into this having produced the most passes of any side at the Club World Cup and Real continually gave the ball back to them, with Courtois regularly launching it long.
PSG should have had a fourth before half-time when Khivicha Kvaratskhelia had a blast from 10 yards, only for it to fly wide. Dembele then tried to catch Courtois sleeping from 40 yards, with the goalkeeper hurting himself in retreating to tip it over the crossbar.
After 58 minutes came two PSG substitutions as Dembele and Kvaratskhelia were removed, their work done for the day. Rest up, lads, Chelsea on Sunday, and all that.
In the 88th minute, it became 4-0. PSG were passing it around Real’s box as if playing piggy in the middle and toying with their chasers. The ball eventually made its way to Ramos who, with a sharp turn, sent his shot beyond Courtois to complete this humiliation.
Throughout this match, there were French journalists in the MetLife Stadium’s press box loudly exclaiming ‘oh la la’, though that was half in awe of PSG’s play, half in shock at Real’s.
Referee Syzmon Marciniak even showed sympathy, adding zero stoppage time at the end of what was a brutal encounter for Alonso’s side. It is Maresca and Chelsea’s turn next to try to stop the power of PSG.
