PSG thumps Real Madrid to surge into CWC final
Paris Saint-Germain stormed into the Club World Cup final on the back of a sensational first-half display in a 4-0 win over Real Madrid.
The European champion made light work of Los Blancos at MetLife Stadium, where it will return to face Chelsea in the showpiece match.
Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele did the damage during a blistering opening 24 minutes, as Madrid's defence crumbled.
Having made two saves in swift succession to deny Fabian and then Dembele, Thibaut Courtois could do little to prevent PSG's sixth-minute opener.
Fabian was on hand to tuck into an empty net after Dembele had been taken out by Courtois' sprawling dive.
It was 2-0 three minutes later, as Dembele pounced on Antonio Rudiger's calamitous error and duly slotted home.
Kylian Mbappe had his first sight of goal against his former club, but PSG soon raced up the other end and made it 3-0 as Achraf Hakimi squared for Fabian to drill in his second.
The offside flag denied Desire Doue early in the second half. Although Madrid got a foothold in the game, they never looked likely to forge a miraculous comeback, and Xabi Alonso's first defeat as Los Blancos boss was capped off when Goncalo Ramos finished brilliantly late on.
The opening stages of the tie were reminiscent of the Champions League final, in which PSG cut through Inter time and time again.
Madrid conceded two goals in the first nine minutes of a game for the first time since February 2017, when it shipped two against Valencia.
Dembele, meanwhile, became the first player to be involved in two goals against Madrid in the first nine minutes of a match in any competition since at least the 2002-03 season, as PSG went three goals ahead after 24 minutes of a game for the first time since April 2018.
PSG won its last five knockout round matches in all competitions by an aggregate score of 18-0.
