Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid on Wednesday afternoon, advancing to its first-ever FIFA Club World Cup final in front of 77,542 at MetLife Stadium.
PSG scored three first-half goals and completely controlled the game, adding a late goal to add to Madrid's humiliation.
It wasn't even close as the French comprehensively outplayed five-time Club World Cup winners Madrid. Here are four thoughts from the unexpectedly one-sided 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Semifinal victory in East Rutherford.
Michael Battista
1. An explosive start from PSG
It was a game that many expected to be an even matchup between European powerhouses, so scoring the first goal was crucial. PSG wasted no time against Madrid, showing intensity from the start.
Paris forced two saves from Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in the opening minutes of the game, as Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé tested the defense. But there was nothing Courtois could do about the next two shots he faced.
In the sixth minute, Raúl Asencio intercepted Désiré Doué's pass into the box, but his touch let him down as Dembélé pounced on the ball. The forward dribbled past Courtois and then passed to Ruiz, who slotted it in from six yards out.
Fabian Ruiz opens the scoring | Courtesy DAZN Football
That wasn't the last defensive mistake Madrid would make.
Not even four minutes later, Antonio Rüdiger tried to play a pass back to Courtois, but he missed the ball as an in-pursuit Dembélé stole possession and found himself through on goal. The French forward beat Courtois with a clinical finish from close range, scoring his 35th goal of the season to further cement his name in the Ballon d'Or race.
PSG scored two goals inside three minutes, making Madrid look dysfunctional and out of sorts.
Ousmane Dembélé punishes Antonio Rüdiger | Courtesy DAZN Football
Madrid eventually started to settle into the game and create a few chances, but the Spanish side still had no answer to PSG's quick counterattacks and sharp passing.
In the 24th minute, PSG turned a defensive action into an offensive play in a matter of seconds, as Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi combined on a one-two passing sequence. Hakimi sprinted forward to find a wide-open Ruiz, whose left-footed shot left Courtois flat-footed as he scored his second goal of the afternoon.
Fabian Ruiz scores his second | Courtesy DAZN Football
Matthew Mangam
2. Kylian Mbappé gets first start of tournament
Kylian Mbappé missed Madrid's FIFA Club World Cup Group Stage matches due to illness. With breakout 21-year-old Gonzalo García excelling up top, Mbappé came on as a substitute in Madrid's following two knockout matches.
Mbappé looked like his usual self against Borussia Dortmund in the Semifinals, scoring an outstanding scissor kick deep in stoppage time, which proved to be the game-winner after Serhou Guirassy converted his penalty.
That prompted head coach Xabi Alonso to start Mbappé for the first time in this tournament today, pitting the attacker against his former club.
But it wasn't the reunion Mbappé hoped for, as the 26-year-old had a quiet game and did not look dangerous. He took four shots, but two of them were blocked, and he had the fewest touches (27) of any player to go the full 90 minutes. He finished the game with an xG of 0.42, but he was mostly contained by the PSG defense.
Hudson River Blue Staff
3. PSG wins battle of goalkeepers, defenses
Both teams entered today's match without key defenders, either due to suspension or injury.
PSG were without center-back Willian Pacho and backup left-back and center-back Lucas Hernández, who were suspended after being sent off in the team's quarterfinal. Head coach Luis Enrique slotted in Lucas Beraldo to fill in for Pacho, while regular starters Hakimi, Marquinhos, and Nuno Mendes rounded out the backline.
As for Madrid, they were missing two summer signings: Dean Huijsen, who was suspended after being sent off late in the quarterfinal, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was ruled out with a knock. Alonso made the logical changes to his lineup, starting Asencio and Federico Valverde in place of the two.
It was also a battle of two great goalkeepers: Madrid's Courtois and PSG's Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Donnarumma entered Wednesday's match leading the competition in clean sheets (four) and save percentage (92.3%), while Courtois led in saves (19) and had the second-best save percentage (90.5%).
But it's abundantly clear which team won the battles of goalkeepers and defenses by looking at the scoreline. One team snuffed out a potent attack, and the other didn't. PSG impressively shut down Madrid's star power attack and will head into the final with five clean sheets and only one goal conceded in six games.
It will be interesting to see PSG face Chelsea's attack, which poses some danger: Cole Palmer, João Pedro, and Pedro Neto have been impressive in this tournament. But they shouldn't prove to be too much of a threat for an organized PSG backline that has already faced worse in this tournament.
Hudson River Blue Staff
4. PSG rolls to the final
Fresh off its first-ever UEFA Champions League title, Paris was expected to make a deep run in the Club World Cup. The French giants started the tournament with a resounding 4-0 win over Atlético Madrid in front of 80,619 at the Rose Bowl.
But PSG suffered a scare in the next game, losing 1-0 to Botafogo. Enrique's side bounced back, though, earning back-to-back wins over MLS sides: Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami.
Now in the quarterfinals, PSG faced Bayern Munich in a rematch of the 2020 Champions League final. PSG avenged that defeat from five years ago, scoring two late goals with nine men to advance to Wednesday's semifinals against Madrid. But that matchup with Bayern wasn't actually a close game — PSG was the better team in every aspect.
The same holds true for today's win. PSG's passing, movement, and confidence were there from start to finish, as Madrid looked lost.
PSG will face Chelsea in the Club World Cup final on Sunday, looking to cap off its fantastic 2024-25 season with its fifth trophy.
