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PSG humiliates Madrid and reaches the Club World Cup final

Real Madrid suffered a serious setback against Paris Saint-Germain, who had no trouble scoring four goals and reaching the Club World Cup final. Luis Enrique's team not only won, but also enjoyed themselves along the way, exposing a Madrid side that was lost from the first minute, lacking ideas, spirit and, above all, football.

Things got off to a bad start for the Whites even before the kick-off. Flight delays, bus problems and a late arrival at the stadium. But the real trouble began on the pitch. Five minutes in, Marco Asencio got tangled up in the area, lost the ball to Dembélé and Courtois came out to cover the disaster, but the ball ended up at the feet of Fabián Ruiz, who made no mistake. One-nil and poker faces on the Merengue bench.

Madrid had not even recovered when Rüdiger made another costly mistake. The German centre-back tried to play the ball out and ended up giving it away to Dembélé, who scored the second. All this in less than ten minutes. PSG not only dominated the scoreboard, but also the pace, the play and the mood. Madrid, meanwhile, was evaporating.

With Vitinha pulling the strings, accompanied by an omnipresent João Neves and a highly motivated Fabián, the French had everything under control. Each of their attacks seemed like a lesson in how to play with rhythm and precision. Thus, in the 23rd minute, Fabián scored his second after a collective play that completely dismantled the white defence.

Xabi Alonso tried to change things after the break, but there were no miracle solutions. Mbappé and Vinicius were disconnected, Güler couldn't find any space and Bellingham was nowhere to be seen. The team was a shadow of itself and PSG were relentless. Doué, Kvaratskhelia and Dembélé did what they wanted in the final third, while Barcola and Gonçalo Ramos waited for their chance on the bench.

The fourth goal came in the 87th minute, like a final punishment. Gonçalo Ramos received the ball in the area, pulled off a video game-like cut and sent it into the net. Another blow for Madrid, who had only had one shot on target in 70 minutes.

Modric and Lucas Vázquez had a few minutes to savour. They may have been their last wearing the Madrid badge. Militão and Carvajal also returned, but by then the result was already decided. The picture was clear: PSG were cruising and Madrid were praying for the final whistle.

Luis Enrique and his team will play the final against Chelsea with their morale sky high and a team as finely tuned as a Swiss watch. Madrid, for their part, return home with a harsh lesson and many things to correct. The blow has been hard. More than a defeat, it was a drubbing.

The Club World Cup now has its dream final between two European giants. But what is clear is that Xabi Alonso's new project still has a lot of work to do if it wants to rub shoulders with the best again. For now, PSG has harshly reminded them that the present — and perhaps also the future — is a long way off.