EAST RUTHERFORD: Paris St-Germain’s Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz scored twice in a devastating first-half display as the French champions demolished Real Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday to book their place in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea.
Victory against Chelsea on Sunday would complete a campaign of unparalleled success for the Parisians, who won the French title and then the first UEFA Champions League in their history in May.
“We are in a special season, a special moment, and we deserved to win,” Luis Enrique told broadcaster DAZN before looking ahead to the final.
“We are going to try, one more step against a good team like Chelsea. They did great, they performed the whole competition and now it is time for us to prepare for that... we want to make history in our club, and then take some holidays.”
Two defensive errors handed PSG their opening goals within nine minutes at the MetLife Stadium.
Raul Asencio’s poor control in the sixth minute gifted Ousmane Dembele possession and his first effort was saved by Thibaut Courtois before the rebound was picked up by Ruiz who scored into an empty net.
Antonio Rudiger’s miskick as he attempted to pass three minutes later allowed Dembele to burst unmarked into the box before firing a tidy finish past Courtois.
Ruiz struck again in the 24th minute after Achraf Hakimi made a great run down the right and the Spaniard held off defender Raul Asencio with a feint before finishing perfectly from close range.
Substitute Goncalo Ramos completed the rout for European champions PSG three minutes from time, punishing a feeble Real side who failed to pose any attacking threat.
“It was an incredible match, brilliant win,” player of the match Ruiz told DAZN.
“Even under scorching heat, such difficult conditions to play in midday, the team responded really well and it’s an achievement to be proud of.
“We made a perfect game and beat a top-level rival like Real in a great way. It’s job well done.”
Real manager Xabi Alonso’s tactical gamble backfired spectacularly.
Missing suspended defender Dean Huijsen and injured Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alonso abandoned the five-man defence that had served them well in previous rounds, reverting to a four-man backline that proved woefully inadequate against PSG’s attacking prowess.
PSG, who thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in the Champions League final last month, smelled blood from the opening whistle and never relented against opponents who looked clueless on how to approach Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal even with French forward Kylian Mbappe back in the starting side after illness.
Dembele almost scored in the fourth minute with a curling strike from inside the box that Courtois stopped with a brilliant one-handed save before the keeper produced another stunning reflex block from a close-range strike by Ruiz.
But there was nothing he could do to deny PSG from opening a three-goal lead and the French team had more chances to extend their advantage further before the break.
Real made no changes at halftime and PSG stayed in control, with Desire Doue having a goal ruled out for an offside.
The Spanish side never came close to causing Donnarumma a serious problem and Ramos added a fourth goal for PSG.
“At the beginning, the setback was strong enough with a 2-0 down. We knew that the task was really tough,” Real coach Alonso told DAZN.
“At the moment, the feeling is not the best, but we’ll have to try to learn from today. They are a team that has been built in two years and we are just starting here, so it will take time.
“Right now what we need is a proper break. This is not the beginning of next year, this is just the end of this season. After just three weeks here, I think that we can take positives from this period, not from today. We take lessons from today.”
Though the bitter taste of defeat would linger, Alonso assured fans that better things were to come next season and he did not rule out the possibility of further new signings.
“We start a new age after a break, with fresh minds,” he said. “We want to build a team that plays as a unit, with everyone playing together... we were one match away and it’s painful and let’s see what happens now.”
It was also a bitter end for Los Blancos legend Luka Modric, but in years to come that will be forgotten.
The 39-year-old made his last appearance for the club as a substitute in the defeat, but leaves a host of indelible memories from his time with the Spanish giants.
The Croatian confirmed in May he would leave Madrid after the tournament in the United States, and he is set to join AC Milan next season.
Modric turns 40 in September but still hopes to play for Croatia at the 2026 World Cup, and regular football is what he needs, after his minutes shrank last season under previous Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The veteran midfielder won a club-record 28 trophies over 13 years in the Spanish capital, in which he conquered fans of all teams across Spain with his consistent brilliance.
“It’s not the desired finish, it’s a bitter end, but he will not be remembered for this game, but instead for other great ones,” said Alonso. “He is a legend both of world football and Real Madrid, he will be remembered for many more good things than the 25 minutes he played today.”
Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2025