PSG gives Real Madrid a reality check and dismisses them from the Club World Cup.

The semifinal lasted ten minutes. That's how long it took Asencio and Rüdiger to shoot themselves in the foot and condemn Real Madrid in the stifling heat of MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. That's where Xabi Alonso's young Real Madrid died against a refined, hard-working, direct, and insatiable PSG, who devoured them with three goals to seal the match before halftime and a fourth in the final stretch. Luis Enrique, after beating Inter 5-0 in the Champions League, is one step away from winning the first major Club World Cup, the icing on the cake of his extraordinary Parisian achievements.

With Alexander-Arnold out at last minute due to muscle discomfort, Alonso was forced to place Valverde at full-back and leave Tchouaméni alone in midfield, with Güler and Bellingham as midfielders. Up front, he opted for Mbappé to start for the first time and continue with Vinicius and Gonzalo. He tried to bite while being bitten, and it backfired.

Courtois miraculously appeared twice in the first five minutes, wasting every opportunity he could muster. He parried a dangerous shot from Fabián and, almost inexplicably, deflected a point-blank shot from Nuno Mendes. Madrid briefly held the ball, attempting a few counterattacks with Mbappé, but were ultimately crushed by errors from Asencio and Rüdiger.

In the sixth minute, the youth player fell asleep while controlling a ball inside the box unchallenged. He thought too much, and Dembélé, electric, stole the ball from him. The Frenchman, inside the box, went down as Courtois came out. It could have been a penalty, but the ball fell to Fabián to score the comfortable 1-0. Real Madrid shock.

In the next play, with barely time to breathe, another dramatic error occurred. Rüdiger tried to pass as the last man, but he didn't touch the ball and left it open for Dembélé, who was once again very active in the pressing, as Luis wanted. The Frenchman started alone, stood up to Courtois, and beat the Belgian with a low shot. Two errors and two goals in ten minutes. Too many gifts for the great European champion.

From then on, PSG toyed with Madrid. They danced around the lack of pressure from Vinicius, Mbappé, and Gonzalo, all three of whom were too static, especially the first two, allowing the French to easily connect with their midfield. Their superiority in the midfield cemented French dominance through Vitinha and Fabián, two of the most technically gifted midfielders in the world, and Madrid, split in two and leaving plenty of space, suffered as in the big matches of this past year under Ancelotti.

The backs of Valverde and Fran García, always defending evenly or inferiorly against Kvaratskhelia and Doué, never supported by their wingers as PSG does, were golden for Luis Enrique's team. The Asturian has built a single unit in which everyone is committed to his idea: they press, bite, and then are quick and direct. They have everything they need to fulfill their manager's wishes in both areas, with Hakimi and Mendes as rockets.

In the 23rd minute, Fabián sealed the match, epitomizing the dual projects of PSG and Madrid. One had been worked on for two years, the other was still unfinished, and with the flaws of a disappointing season. It was a clean break for PSG from the corner, with one-twos between Hakimi, Doué, and Dembélé. The ball reached the Moroccan full-back again, who beat Rüdiger and then eased it past Fabián to finish past Courtois.

After the break, PSG slowed down and Madrid breathed a sigh of relief, although they continued to struggle in their own half. The referee ruled out a goal by Doué for offside by Dembélé, and Luis Enrique began to think about the final.

Xabi, for his part, sent very direct hints to his squad. In the 65th minute, with half an hour still to go, he took off Asencio, Bellingham, and Vinicius—the two stars were inconsequential and the youth player erratic—and brought on Militao, Modric, and Brahim. Five minutes later, Carvajal came on for Gonzalo. Later, Lucas came on for Güler.

Madrid bid farewell to the United States with a 4-0 defeat, with Courtois already exhausted in the final stretch as his teammates searched for the consolation goal. It was an ugly end to Xabi's first test, as he improved in the tournament until he faces the great PSG. The Tolosa native has a lot of work ahead of him.