Fabian Ruiz scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain delivered a dominant performance to crush Real Madrid 4–0 in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, setting up a final clash with Chelsea.
Playing at a packed MetLife Stadium outside New York, PSG stunned their Spanish opponents with two goals in the opening nine minutes, silencing a crowd of 77,542 largely supporting Real. Ruiz opened the scoring before Ousmane Dembélé quickly doubled the advantage, putting the European champions firmly in control.
Ruiz struck again shortly before half-time to cap a ruthless first-half display, while substitute Gonçalo Ramos added a fourth late on as PSG moved within one win of lifting FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup trophy.
The victory keeps PSG on course for an extraordinary season. Having already secured the French league title and the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League crown in May, a win over Chelsea on Sunday would complete a treble of major honours.
“We are in a special season and a special moment,” PSG head coach Luis Enrique said. “The players deserved this result. Now there is one more step against a strong Chelsea side. They have performed very well throughout the tournament, and we want to prepare properly and make history.”
PSG’s authority against Real followed a string of emphatic performances. After dismantling Inter Milan 5–0 in the Champions League final, the biggest winning margin in European Cup history, they opened their Club World Cup campaign with a four-goal win over Atlético Madrid. The ease with which they brushed aside Real Madrid was equally striking.
Real, still adapting under new head coach Xabi Alonso, struggled to cope with PSG’s pace and fluidity. “We were not good enough today,” Alonso admitted. “We are not the first team to suffer against them, but we clearly have many things to improve.”
The match also marked Kylian Mbappé’s first appearance against PSG since leaving the club last year. Making his first start of the tournament after missing the group stage through illness, the France captain found little space to influence the game. His muted display reflected Real’s wider struggles as their hopes of winning the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup were dashed.
PSG were missing suspended centre-back Willian Pacho, sent off in the quarter-final against Bayern Munich, but his absence had little impact. Lucas Beraldo stepped in seamlessly, while the rest of PSG’s first-choice lineup dominated proceedings.
Real were weakened by the suspension of defender Dean Huijsen and the absence of Trent Alexander-Arnold. Mbappé returned to the starting XI, though young striker Gonzalo García retained his place alongside Vinícius Júnior. The forward line, however, failed to register a meaningful threat.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois briefly kept Real in the contest with two fine saves inside the opening five minutes, denying Ruiz and then Nuno Mendes from close range. But PSG broke through in the sixth minute when Dembélé capitalised on a defensive mistake by Raúl Asencio. Courtois blocked the initial effort, but Ruiz converted the rebound.
Three minutes later, the tie was effectively settled. Antonio Rüdiger failed to control a pass from Jude Bellingham, allowing Dembélé to run through unchallenged and finish low into the corner. It was the winger’s 34th club goal since August, underlining his status as a leading Ballon d’Or contender.
PSG’s third goal arrived midway through the first half. After Mbappé saw a deflected shot gathered by Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG broke forward immediately. Dembélé released Achraf Hakimi on the right, and his cut-back found Ruiz, who held off Federico Valverde before finishing calmly.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia went close to extending the lead before the break, while Désiré Doué had a goal ruled out for offside early in the second half. Real never mounted a serious comeback, and Alonso substituted both Bellingham and Vinícius shortly after the hour mark.
PSG completed the rout in the 87th minute when Ramos controlled a pass from fellow substitute Bradley Barcola, turned sharply, and fired into the net.
The result underlined PSG’s growing authority on the world stage as they now turn their focus to Chelsea, with the chance to cap a historic campaign with yet another major trophy.
