Opinion: PSG sends a message following Real Madrid rout
A 4-0 win put the European champions in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea
The Club World Cup showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid was billed to be more like a championship game than a semifinal.
Instead, in the end, it turned out to be more like the recent Champions League final.
At MetLife Stadium on Wednesday before a crowd of 77,542 who braved the 91-degree heat, PSG didn't just defeat Real Madrid — the defending European champions crushed them.
A ruthless 4-0 win secured PSG a place in Sunday’s Club World Cup final against Chelsea, while also sending a very clear message that will echo far beyond the New Jersey swamp.
“We are in a special moment and we have to win. We are going to try against a good team like Chelsea,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said. “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 vacation.”
This PSG side means business. From the first whistle, PSG were in total control. Within nine minutes, they were two goals up. The opener came when Ousmane Dembele pounced on a poor touch from Real Madrid center back Raul Asencio, feeding Fabian Ruiz to finish.
A second defensive lapse — this time by Antonio Rudiger — allowed Dembele to break through and beat Thibaut Courtois. Real Madrid’s defense was shapeless and, down 2-0, in shambles.
Real Madrid’s backline looked fragile all afternoon, but the third goal was pure PSG artistry. A rapid, sweeping move put Ruiz once again on the scoresheet, placing Xabi Alonso’s men in an impossible position. Substitute Goncalo Ramos added a fourth goal late in the game, matching Real Madrid’s worst defeat of the season and putting an emphatic stamp on an unforgettable night for the Parisians.
This PSG victory was reminiscent of its 5-0 annihilation of Inter Milan in the Champions League final on May 31 to capture their first European title.
As for Madrid’s attack? It was a no-show. Kylian Mbappe — once the crown jewel of PSG, now Real’s marquee striker — was muted. All he could do is lift his arms in frustration at the sight of PSG’s second goal. Things just got worse after that.
So too was Vinicius Junior, last year’s Ballon d’Or runner-up, who couldn’t spark anything of substance in the final third.
At the other end of the field, all eyes were on Dembele.
Much of the pre-tournament buzz around the Ballon d’Or had circled around him, but a minor injury and a quiet start kept that talk at bay. Not anymore. This latest performance certainly reignites the conversation.
In fact, should PSG complete the quadruple — after having captured the Champions League, Ligue 1 and domestic cup titles this season — it would cap off a sensational 2025 for the Paris club. It would also put Dembele back in the conversation for the personal honor.
Dembele didn’t just play well against Madrid, but he did it all. The Frenchman drifted into space, pressed high, dropped deep and gave Real Madrid’s backline fits for the entire match. He forced the first mistake that led to the goal, scored the second with clinical precision and orchestrated the decisive pass in the buildup for the third.
PSG are a win away from a history-making season. Dembele and his teammates are ready for it.
“We didn’t put the brakes on, but of course with the heat, with the final in three days’ time, with cramps and the risk of tiredness, you act,” the PSG manager added. “The first thing is the objective, which is to reach the final and compete. At no point do you put the brakes on.”