

Both teams may have been late to arrive at MetLife Stadium after getting stuck in traffic, but it only took Paris Saint-Germain six minutes to open the scoring en route to a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the Club World Cup semis, dominating the team of their former star Kylian Mbappe.
Both teams were without regular starters with Willian Pacho and Dean Huijsen suspended, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was also held out after experiencing tightness in training. PSG got the scoring started via Fabian Ruiz and repeatedly punished Real Madrid for their mistakes to join Chelsea in the Club World Cup final, which will take place on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.
Already coming off winning the first Champions League title in club history, PSG have been flying high, and they're now one step closer to securing their first Club World Cup title in club history. Luis Enrique has put together a machine in Paris following the departure of Mbappe to Real Madrid, and even the return of their club record scorer wasn't enough to slow the Parisians down.
After Ruiz opened the scoring, Ousmane Dembele continued his Ballon d'Or campaign by picking Antonio Rudiger's pocket and scoring with ease before Ruiz completed his brace only 24 minutes into the game. Xabi Alonso's side looked out of sorts, and while they had travel issues with their plane landing late the night before the match, they never made it into things.
Mbappe made his first start of the tournament alongside young Gonzalo Garcia, but the shift to a back four left Real Madrid chasing shadows during the match. PSG have already shown what they can do, sweeping aside everything in their path this season, but even playing their 64th game in all competitions, this team hasn't lost a step. Credit must be given to the culture that Luis Enrique has created, as this has become a team of more than just star power -- which used to be their identity and often their downfall on the European stage.
PSG have come a long way since the days of Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar, and they can complete that journey by defeating Chelsea on Sunday. For Alonso, it's his first setback as manager of Real Madrid, but it's always better to have these happen now instead of later when they're in the Champions League knockouts. This has been a learning experience of what his team's strengths and weaknesses are, and he has also gotten to test different systems.
Madrid have been stronger in a back three than a back four during this tournament, since it allows Francisco Garcia and Alexander-Arnold to take on attacking roles, but if that's going to be Madrid's primary setup, they'll need to make some shifts to the squad since it doesn't allow space for Rodrygo. It already could be the end of an era with Luca Modric set to depart, but the changes aren't done for Real Madrid, and now they've seen how big the gap is to catch up to PSG.