Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Real Madrid: Parisians score three in first 25 to give bitter end to Madrid’s summer campaign
This was a match that was thick with narrative, plot and subplots, given that Real Madrid have a new coach testing out a new system, are Europe’s most illustrious team while Paris Saint-Germain are currently its best on the pitch, and striker Kylian Mbappe is meeting his former club for the first time while suing them over €55m in unpaid wages.
But the only thing evident on the pitch at Metlife Stadium was that Luis Enrique’s team are currently far superior to Los Blancos.
A key question going into the semi-final match was whether Alonso, having started the last three games with two forwards, would drop Vinicius or in-form youngster Gonzalo Garcia from the starting XI as Mbappe prepared to make his first start in the Club World Cup.
The Spaniard ultimately decided to play the three attackers but it cost his side the stability in midfield they had gained since the match against RB Salzburg. There was also not enough pressure from Madrid’s three forwards on the PSG backline, allowing the Parisians to progress the ball very easily up the pitch. It resulted in a demolition.
There were warning signs in the fifth minute when Thibaut Courtois made two crucial saves almost back to back. But the Belgian could do very little just a minute later when Raul Ascencio delayed on the ball and allowed Ousmane Dembele to pounce, after Desire Doue had done brilliant work at the edge of the box. Courtois ended up fouling Dembele as he scrambled to prevent the Frenchman from shooting, but no penalty was necessary because Fabian Ruiz collected and put PSG ahead.
The Parisians doubled their lead only three minutes later when Antonio Rudiger uncannily miskicked the ball, allowing Dembele again to run through and finish one-on-one past Courtois. Alonso’s side were crippled by inertia and PSG danced the ball around them far too easily. In the 24th minute, a quick attack after playing through Madrid’s anaemic press saw the European champions in a three-on-one situation and Achraf Hakimi squared for Fabian Ruiz to add his second of the game and his side’s third.
PSG could have gone 6-0 up. Time and time again they breezed past Madrid’s nonexistent midfield. Kvicha Kvaratskhelia failed to put a curl on the ball after creating space inside the box with clever movement. Courtois palmed away Nuno Mendes’s scorching effort, and then retreated just in time to meet Dembele’s long distance lob and tip it over the bar.
With PSG having up to 80 per cent possession in the first half Madrid spent a lot of the time without the ball. They did seem like they could be dangerous on the counter but Luis Enrique’s side were swift in covering ground and making key interceptions in the moments when they lost the ball.
A better spell of possession for Madrid in the second half allowed them to get a foothold and the score remained at 3-0. PSG lost their intensity and instead kept the ball well to limit Madrid to only a few half chances. Mbappe failed to connect properly with a ball that dropped to him on the arc, and Jude Bellingham ran through the centre of the pitch but his shot was blocked in the box by Lucas Beraldo. Valverde’s dangerous long-range effort was also deflected by Beraldo.
Eder Militao could have scored when he saw a header from a corner go just wide, in what was probably Madrid’s closest attempt, although shortly afterwards Militao also forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma, after robbing Joao Neves in the PSG half.
However, the Parisians were soon 4-0 up when a ball over the top allowed Bradley Barcola to dance free of his markers and then pass to Gonzalo Ramos, who had all the time in the world to take multiple touches before burying the chance. A few more passes by the French side and the referee put Real Madrid out of their misery.
