The semifinal lasted only ten minutes. That's how long it took Asensio and Rüdiger to shoot themselves in the foot and condemn Real Madrid under the scorching heat of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. There, this young Xabi Alonso's Madrid died against a sharp, well-worked, vertical, and insatiable PSG, which devoured them with three goals to seal the match before halftime and added a fourth in the final stretch. Luis Enrique, after a 5-0 win against Inter in the Champions League, is one step away from conquering the first major Club World Cup, the pinnacle of his extraordinary work in Paris.
With the last-minute absence of Alexander-Arnold due to muscle discomfort, Alonso was forced to place Valverde at full-back and leave Tchouaméni alone in midfield, with Güler and Bellingham as interior midfielders. Upfront, he opted for Mbappé's first start and continued with Vinicius and Gonzalo. They tried to bite back while being bitten, and it went wrong.
Courtois miraculously appeared twice in the first five minutes, exhausting all his saintly options. He saved a dangerous shot from Fabián and inexplicably deflected a close-range effort from Nuno Mendes. Madrid lived temporarily, trying some counters with Mbappé, but fell flat with Asensio and Rüdiger's mistakes.
In the sixth minute, the academy player hesitated when controlling a ball inside the box unopposed. He overthought, and Dembélé, electric, stole the ball from him. The Frenchman, inside the box, fell in front of Courtois' charge. It could have been a penalty, but the ball fell to Fabián to comfortably score the 1-0. A shock for Madrid.
In the next play, almost without time to breathe, another dramatic error. Rüdiger attempted a pass as the last man, missed the ball, leaving it for Dembélé, once again very active in pressing, as desired by Luis Enrique. The Frenchman ran solo, faced Courtois, and beat the Belgian with a low shot. Two errors and two goals in 10 minutes. Too many gifts for the reigning European champions.
From there, PSG dominated Madrid. They danced around the minimal pressure from Vinicius, Mbappé, and Gonzalo, all three too static, especially the first two, allowing the French to easily connect with their midfield. The superiority in the midfield solidified the French dominance through Vitinha and Fabián, two of the most technically gifted midfielders in the world. Madrid, split in two and leaving many spaces, suffered as they have in big games over the past year under Ancelotti.
Valverde and Fran García's vulnerability, always defending in equality or inferiority against Kvaratskhelia and Doué, never supported by their wing teammates as PSG does, was a goldmine for Luis Enrique's team. The Asturian has built a unique unit where everyone buys into his idea: they press, bite, and then are quick and vertical. They have everything to fulfill their coach's wishes in both areas, with Hakimi and Mendes as rockets.
In the 23rd minute, Fabián sealed the match, summarizing the two projects of PSG and Madrid. One meticulously crafted over two years, the other a work in progress with the flaws acquired from a disappointing season. It was a clean build-up from PSG from a corner, with combinations between Hakimi, Doué, and Dembélé. The ball reached the Moroccan full-back again to beat Rüdiger and set up Fabián to score past Courtois.
After halftime, PSG slowed down, and Madrid breathed, although they continued to suffer in their own half. The referee disallowed a goal from Doué for an offside by Dembélé, and Luis Enrique began to think about the final.
Xabi, on the other hand, sent very direct hints to his squad. In the 65th minute, still with half an hour to go, he substituted Asensio, Bellingham, and Vinicius, who were ineffective, and the academy player was erratic, bringing on Militao, Modric, and Brahim. Five minutes later, Carvajal replaced Gonzalo. Later on, Lucas came on for Güler.
Madrid bids farewell to the United States with a 4-0 defeat, with Courtois exposed in the final stages while his teammates sought a consolation goal. A bitter end to Xabi's first test, improving throughout the tournament until facing the mighty PSG. The Basque coach has a lot of work ahead.