What was touted as a heavyweight matchup between two of Europe's best clubs turned into a lopsided win in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on Wednesday afternoon, as Paris Saint-Germain steamrolled Real Madrid CF 4-0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. PSG will next face Chelsea FC in the final on Sunday, July 13.
PSG had one foot in the final not even 10 minutes into the game, with goals from Fabián Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé leaving the five-time FIFA Club World Cup champions from Madrid shell-shocked. PSG cut through the Real Madrid defense like a hot knife through butter, stunning 77,542 fans in attendance, the majority of them Madridistas.
With dominant wins over Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Inter Miami in the knockout rounds of the tournament that saw PSG score a combined 10 goals and allow none, the current UEFA Champions League holder is one win away from lifting its fifth trophy of the season and winning every tournament available to the French giants.
Paris Saint-Germain: 17 shots, 7 shots on target, 68% possession, 631 passes, 93% pass accuracy, 9 fouls, 3 corners, 2 saves
Real Madrid: 11 shots, 2 shots on target, 32% possession, 255 passes, 83% pass accuracy, 9 fouls, 6 corners, 3 saves
Goals:
• Paris Saint-Germain, Fabián Ruiz, 6'
• Paris Saint-Germain, Ousmane Dembélé, 9'
• Paris Saint-Germain, Fabián Ruiz, 24'
• Paris Saint-Germain, Goncalo Ramos, 87'
Attendance: 77,542
Matthew Mangam
Fabián Ruiz at the double
Before Wednesday's contest, the casual viewer may have predicted a tight contest with a few goals sprinkled in for either side. PSG did more than their part, but Real Madrid did not. Spanish midfielder Fabián Ruiz led the charge for the Parisians, bagging a first-half brace as PSG went into halftime up 3-0.
Fabián Ruiz opens the scoring for PSG after just four minutes | DAZN
The first goal, coming after just six minutes of play, was a result of the first of many mistakes made by the Real Madrid back four. French winger Désiré Doué did well to fashion some space and square a ball into the box, but straight to the feet of Madrid's Raúl Asencio.
Yet, as if caught in two separate worlds, the Spaniard was far too relaxed on the ball, with his loose touch poached by Dembélé. Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois thought he did enough to stop Dembélé, but the attacker laid the ball off quickly to his teammate, and Ruiz was ready to score PSG's opener.
It wouldn't be long until Ruiz found the back of the net again, firing home from inside of 10 yards to complete an effortless and efficient counter-attack that came straight off the training ground. Dembélé was at the heart of this move as well, setting up a one-two pass to spring free Achraf Hakimi, who simply just had to place the ball at the feet of Ruiz to make it 3-0.
Fabián Ruiz caps off a brilliant team move with his second goal of the match. Cred: DAZN.
This was the Spaniard's third match of the season with two or more goal contributions. Ruiz had five goals and 10 assists in all competitions prior to the start of the Club World Cup, proving an integral piece of head coach Luis Enrique's system as PSG won the treble in 2024/25.
Matthew Mangam
Dembélé cements Ballon d'Or campaign
If one were to ask not long ago, "Who will win the Ballon d'Or in 2025?" very few people, would have answered "Ousmane Dembélé." The Frenchmen spent six underwhelming years at FC Barcelona, where he logged more time on the treatment table and bench than on the pitch. Since his switch to PSG in August 2023, Dembélé regained his confidence and is now easily one of the best players in the world.
Dembélé's goal in the ninth minute on Wednesday came from pressing hard and forcing another mistake from the Real Madrid defense. It was his 35th goal of the season in all competitions. Add to that 14 assists, and Dembélé's 49 goal contributions are good for the fifth-most of any player across the top five leagues in Europe
Dembélé has emerged as the leading player of a team that won Ligue 1, the Trophée des Champions, the Coupe de France, and (for the first time in club history) the UEFA Champions League. Dembélé's role at PSG helps make a very serious case for winning soccer's greatest individual award.
The winner of the 2025 Ballon d'Or will be announced on September 22 in Monaco. If PSG can win one more game en route to a fifth trophy this season, it's easy to see Dembélé getting his hands on the coveted golden trophy. He would be just the second Frenchman to win the award after Zinedine Zidane did it in 1998, and Karim Benzema did it following his emphatic 44-goal campaign with Madrid in 2022.
Hudson River Blue Staff
Michael Battista
PSG quintuple?
Madrid looked like a completely different team from the side that dispatched Borrusia Dortmund 3-2 on Saturday. The players were lethargic on and off the ball, with little to no cohesion between the defense, midfield, and attack throughout the match. PSG made the defense look amateur, with mistakes coming from young and experienced players alike.
Poor defending sees PSG grab a late 4th through Goncalo Ramos. Cred: DAZN
Forwards Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. were non-factors. The Paris midfield and defense limited them to a combed for five shots, with just one hitting the target. Midfielders Jude Bellingham and Arda Güler didn't fair much better, with the duo managing one single touch in the PSG penalty area while creating zero chances, before being hooked by Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso in the 64th minute.
The gulf in quality was beyond anything fans expected. Wednesday's contest resembled more of a varsity squad walking through the freshman team than a competitive semifinal in the biggest club tournament in the world.
Wednesday's thrashing of Madrid was PSG's third 4-0 victory in this FIFA Club World Cup, and the fifth clean sheet in six matches. The Parisians dominated both Atlético Madrid and Seattle Sounders FC in the Group Stage, finishing top of the group despite a 1-0 hiccup loss vs Brazilian outfit Botafogo. PSG then steamrolled over Inter Miami 4-0 in the Round of 16, and German champions Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Quarterfinals. PSG have not allowed a goal in 414 minutes, and show no signs of giving up.
PSG under Enrique is simply better. Not just better than Real Madrid, better than every other club on the planet. The quality that was evident in the club's 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the 2025 UEFA Champions League Final is on display here in the United States in a tournament that has been much more competitive than originally thought, especially considering performances from Brazilian teams.
Michael Battista
After Chelsea made the final via an arguably much easier side of the bracket, the Parisians will be favored to win the ultimate prize on Sunday at MetLife.
With US President Donald Trump set to attend the contest, Doja Cat and J Balvin headlining the halftime show, and $40 million supposedly on the line for the winner, expect fireworks and a high intensity, as the Parisians set out to prove who is the new top dog is on the global stage.
• Real Madrid, Aurélian Tchouaméni, yellow card, foul 28′
• Paris Saint-Germain, João Neves, yellow card, foul 45′+2
• Real Madrid, Dani Carvajal, yellow card, foul 73′
Officials
• Referee: Szymon Marciniak
• Assistant referees: Tomasz Listkiewicz, Adam Kupsik
• Fourth official: Mustapha Ghorbal
• VAR: Tomasz Kwiatkowski
• Assistant VAR: Rob Dieperink
