Paris St-Germain will face Chelsea in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final after defeating Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals. This was a match that saw the "White Vultures" completely behind their opponents.
Reigning UEFA Champions League champions PSG took a 3-0 lead after just 24 minutes with a double from Fabian Ruiz and a goal from Ousmane Dembele.
Real Madrid needed two miraculous saves from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and several unfortunate missed opportunities from PSG to avoid a fourth goal. However, whatever came came came when Goncalo Ramos sealed the victory for Luis Enrique's team in the 87th minute.
Kylian Mbappe failed to impress against his former team when he first started at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Meanwhile, the Paris capital team is now only one victory away from winning the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after winning three Champions League, French Cup and Ligue 1 last season.
Pep Guardiola's Barcelona, a two-time Champions League champions, is considered one of the best clubs in history. Now Enrique's PSG also deserve the same recognition.
"I felt so great. Facing Real Madrid is always difficult, especially in this type of weather. So I am happy to see the home team win.
PSG have tried to forget themselves, especially in the hot weather of New Jersey. In fact, both teams are trying their best. But in the end, PSG deserved to win and this is a special moment for us" - Enrique said.
Guardiola's Barcelona previously owned a world-class midfield including Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta. Although the genius Lionel Messi took them to new heights, it was this midfield that controlled the match and prevented the opponent from getting the ball.
PSG also currently have a formidable trio in midfield, including Vitinha, Joao Neves and Ruiz. They completely dominated Jude Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Arda Guler.
Former Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson once said that Barcelona defeated their opponents with a "passement chain". And that is what PSG is doing.
Barca owns the genius Messi, but PSG is a team of excellent individuals, playing more cohesively and making efforts than their opponents. FIFA statistics show that Real's average first-half recall time is 45 seconds. This number for PSG is 23 seconds, nearly double Real's speed.
"PSG is a team that was built in 2 years by Luis Enrique. I just took over, so it will take time, but we will have to learn from today. The current feeling is not the best.
At this time, we need a real break. It's not the beginning of next year, it's just the end of this season. After only three weeks here, I think we can draw positive things from this stage, and then learn lessons from today" - Xabi Alonso said.
