Real Madrid 0, PSG 4: Mbappe and Alonso are humiliated as the European champions advance to the Club World Cup final.
In a game at MetLife Stadium that was completely under Paris Saint-Germain’s control, they defeated Real Madrid 4-0 to earn a spot in the Club World Cup final against Chelsea on Sunday.
Luis Enrique’s team was in charge from the start, scoring twice in the first nine minutes.
After Ousmane Dembele took advantage of a loose touch from Madrid center-back Raul Asencio, Fabian Ruiz scored the game’s first goal. Then, in the ninth minute, Dembele was able to run through and score against Thibaut Courtois in the Madrid goal thanks to a mistake made by Asencio’s defensive partner, Antonio Rudiger.
Ruiz’s stunning third goal, a scorching attack that gave Xabi Alonso’s team a mountain to conquer, came from two terrible mistakes by Madrid. Then, in the 87th minute, their replacement Goncalo Ramos scored, matching Madrid’s worst loss of the year.
With Kylian Mbappe, who moved from Paris to the Spanish capital last summer, and Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior both performing poorly in New Jersey, Madrid posed little threat on their own.
Sunday afternoon (3 pm ET, 8 pm BST) will see PSG play Chelsea in the championship game at this stadium.
Tim Spiers, Jack Lang, and Mark Carey discuss the main topics…
For PSG, Dembele is a game-changer.
There was a lot of discussion about Ousmane Dembele and the Ballon d’Or leading up to the Champions League final in May, and Luis Enrique was questioned about it. And so was Dembele himself, who responded with the most direct of bats. He told TNT Sports, “Everyone keeps talking about that, but when you play for PSG, there are far more important things than individual awards.” “It’s more about the group.”
Dembele’s candidacy was pushed further down the news agenda by the injury that kept him out of the beginning of PSG’s Club World Cup campaign. But right now, A demonstration that emphasized his value to the greatest team in the world will undoubtedly lead to a new wave of memes and queries.
Dembele went astray. Dembele saw the threat. Madrid’s defenders were so disoriented by Dembele’s fall that they were forced to take cabs to return. He created the first two goals out of nothing by pressing, pursuing, and forcing errors. He performed the second operation himself.
Dembele then delivered the game-winning pass, setting Achraf Hakimi up for the third goal as PSG demonstrated that they could slice through Madrid as well as shake them down in their own box.
Ramos is a decent player who began the tournament up front for PSG and entered in for the last thirty minutes of this game. However, Dembele is not only outstanding but also a really revolutionary force in this squad. In case he receives the rare, insignificant single award, he should likely make room for it on his mantelpiece.
Examining Madrid’s horrible defensive blunders
Two of the best teams in the world competing in the Club World Cup semi-final, with 80,000 spectators in attendance and some of the top athletes in the world on display.
Or, in Madrid’s case, a chance to display defense that wouldn’t seem out of place for a pub team.
Although we anticipated some exciting football from PSG, we certainly didn’t expect Madrid to succumb to the pressure and provide PSG with two hilarious goals in the first ten minutes of the game.
Both goals were laid on a plate by two terrible individual mistakes made by sleepy defenders. The only issue was, which error was worse.
The first goal in the sixth minute earned Raul Asencio the neglect of duty prize after he dallied in possession 10 yards from his own goal line, giving Dembele the opportunity to win the ball.
Ruiz scored the game’s first goal to make it 1-0 when he stroked the loose ball home before the referee could call a penalty after Thibaut Courtois had brought Dembele down, having already made two great saves.
Asencio had a humiliating tournament overall, giving up a penalty against Al-Hilal and receiving a red card against Pachuca.
Antonio Rudiger won the slapstick comedy prize three minutes later when he attempted to make a simple pass across the back line with his right boot but inadvertently pushed it with his left, causing him to kick nothing but air.
Once more, Dembele sensed the threat, captured the ball, and brutally defeated Courtois.
The game began in a chaotic manner, with Madrid shaking their heads, PSG acting cocky, and neutral fans gaping in astonishment. Following that, Madrid was never able to truly recover, and the defensive mess only made the absence of their suspended new signing Dean Huijsen all the more acute.
The third goal for PSG was stunningly beautiful.
At just 24 minutes on the clock, your squad is already ahead by a score of 3-0. This is the kind of objective that you focus on during pre-match practice, but one that seldom materializes during games, let alone against Real Madrid.
Somehow, though, Paris Saint-Germain is becoming accustomed to moving the ball from back to front at the speed of a counterattack and the deliberate choreography of a set-piece maneuver. After already having possession for more than 30 seconds, PSG passed the ball back to Gianluigi Donnarumma, who then sent it wide to Achraf Hakimi.
On the other hand, you must condemn Real Madrid’s subpar pressing from their whole front line, which caused a domino effect that forced their teammates to cover ground they couldn’t possibly reach in time to get close to the PSG players.
In contrast, PSG’s awareness of one another’s movements was almost telepathic. Take your locations, gentlemen.
The PSG midfielders cleared the middle for Desire Doue to fall into as Hakimi took the ball, with Madrid center-back Antonio Rudiger far from the France international who last month scored two goals in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. After a couple of one-twos with Doue and Dembele, Hakimi sped past Madrid’s last line, leaving Ruiz with a simple pass across the goal to finish for his second goal of the match.
When played with such skill, football can be quite simple. Although there are many flaws in Madrid’s defense, PSG’s third goal was a work of art that deserves praise.
Vinicius and Mbappe are simply not working hard enough.
When discussing Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., we must concur on two points.
Firstly, the couple is comprised of outstanding attackers who have lightning speed, outstanding talent, and the ability to win a game on their own. Yet, we must also acknowledge that none of them are particularly interested in working hard off the ball.
Although it’s not fresh news, the MetLife Stadium’s scorching afternoon saw PSG tear Real Madrid apart, exposing the front line’s lack of defensive prowess under Xabi Alonso for the entire world to witness.
Given that direct opponents Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are three of the best in the world at pressing from the front, there is little reason for either player’s lack of defensive intensity outside of the heat. As Madrid discovered, the absence of defensive effort has a domino effect throughout the squad.
Luis Enrique, Mbappe’s previous manager, had begged Mbappe to improve his defense while he was at PSG, and it just seems as though the French international is unable to carry out his manager’s orders when out of possession.
It’s possible that PSG are now favorites to win the world championship after winning the European title without him.
The conclusion of a Real Madrid era and Luka Modric
Did he picture it like this?
Perhaps his hopes would have included a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu, a European match under the lights, or one more Clasico, perhaps a final trophy for the trip. After seventy minutes of spraying the ball around and a few assists, the audience gave a standing ovation.
Luka Modric on the other hand, received this, an hour on the bench sweating in the New Jersey fug with the camera singling him out for a misery shot each time PSG walked the amorphous non-entity formerly known as the Madrid midfield en route to goaling. And then there was the thankless task of chasing around with the game already finished.
One of the modern greats, a player of exceptional skill, elegance, and longevity, the 39-year-old is preparing to play in Serie A for Milan. In a century, Madrid supporters will still be discussing him and admiring their one-man rhythm section. Sadly, they won’t have much to say about his ultimate send-off.
Evidence, were it necessary, that legends do not always leave the stage in the way they merit.
