Sid Lowe was at the MetLife this afternoon. His report has landed, and here it is. Congratulations to PSG, commiserations to Real Madrid, and thanks to you, dear reader, for joining us on the MBM.
Xabi Alonso, saddened but stoic, speaks to DAZN. “At the beginning the setback was strong enough … 2-0 down we knew it would be really tough … at the moment the feeling is not the best … we will have to try to learn from today … as a team [PSG] have been building for years but we are just starting … it will take time … we need a proper break … this is not the beginning of next year … this is just the end of this season … after just three weeks here we can take positives from this period … but we take less from today … since February [PSG] have been in a top moment … they are one of the best teams in the world … let’s see what happens in the final … they have shown a very good level and we want to be there … it is a bitter end [for Luka Modric] but he has been a legend of the club and of football … he is a great guy … he is going to be remembered forever in Madrid.”
PSG’s brilliant boss Luis Enrique talks to DAZN. “I feel great … it is always difficult to play against Real Madrid … we started very good … we are happy with the performance … especially in these conditions … it is too much heat for me … both teams did great … we are in a special moment and we have to win … it is the first match in this World Cup that we could use Ousmane [Dembélé] as a normal player because he was injured with the national team and we tried to take care of him … I think he’s the best player this season by a long way … he deserves to win everything because he gave everything to the team … we are going to try [to win the Club World Cup] against a good team like Chelsea … now it’s time for us to prepare and recover … we are almost there … we want to make history with our club.”
Fabián Ruiz talks to DAZN. “It was an incredible game … a perfect performance … especially given the heat … brilliant … against a really top team in Real Madrid … we’re really happy we’ve gone through … happy for the goals of course … just happy for the win … we need to celebrate … it will be difficult against Chelsea … we know they are a good team and doing well … hopefully we can win the final and finish the season in the best way possible.”
But what about PSG? And who can stop them?! That was arguably an even better performance than the one which eviscerated Internazionale in the Champions League final. They were brilliant, they were beautiful, they were brutal. Two-goal Fabián Ruiz has been named Superior Superstar of the Semi, or however Fifa are styling it these days, but it could have been pretty much any of them. Ousmane Dembélé was outstanding again, scoring his 35th goal of the season, while Achraf Hakimi proved a constant menace on the overlap down the right. In summary: good luck to Chelsea on Sunday, because on this evidence, the European champions look unstoppable, a first world title a very real possibility.
Real have lost the head after previous difficult defeats this season, but not so this time. They accept this painful, borderline humiliating loss by congratulating their opponents warmly. Handshakes all round. Luka Modric, his Real Madrid career ending tonight, is rewarded with a smacker from his boss Xabi Alonso … who will be under a bit of pressure now, one month and nine days into his new job. Yes, that’s beyond ridiculous, but Real Madrid expect to win everything they enter, and that’s just how it’ll be. They’ve certainly got a lot of work to do if they’re to get the better of Barcelona in La Liga next season; the gap between them and PSG is even bigger. Job to do.
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FULL TIME: PSG 4-0 Real Madrid
PSG will meet Chelsea in the final on Sunday! They’ve got there by teaching Real Madrid a proper lesson. It was four; it could have been many more.
90 min: There won’t be any extra time. Well, there’s three seconds of it, before the referee puts Madrid out of their misery.
89 min: That was such a lovely goal, Barcola and Ramos taking turns to bamboozle the Real defence with their sweet skills. Does four qualify as a rout? Perhaps not in strict numerical terms. But this is a proper thrashing.
GOAL! PSG 4-0 Real Madrid (Ramos 88)
Hakimi romps down the right. He crosses low. Barcola can’t get a shot away, level with the left-hand post, but keeps hold of the ball, spinning away from Militao, before rolling back infield for Ramos. He spins elegantly too, seeing off Tchouameni, and pings into the bottom left. Then he goes off to celebrate, sitting down cross-legged to play video games, a touching tribute to his pal Diogo Jota.
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87 min: Militao steals the ball off Neves and strides towards the box. He slams a shot straight at Donnarumma. Then PSG break upfield, and …
85 min: Modric’s delivery is dangerous, and Militao finds a pocket of space, six yards out and level with the near post. He slams his header wide right. A decent chance to plant a small seed of doubt in Parisian noggins.
84 min: Valverde advances down the right, released by a cute drag-back and flick from Diaz. He wins a corner. Modric to take.
83 min: Vazquez comes on for Guler. Both teams have now used up all of their subbing allowance.
82 min: PSG hog the ball. Real appear broken. No attempt to get that ball back.
80 min: Nothing comes of the corner.
79 min: Mayulu wedges a pass down the right to release Hakimi into acres. Hakimi looks for Ramos in the middle, but is denied by Militao’s extended leg, which diverts out for a corner. Before it can be taken, Lee comes on for Mendes.
78 min: The game restarts.
76 min: Time for a drinks break. “We boiled up snow and ice to make hot strong Bovril … how that beefy taste cheered us.”
75 min: Valverde creams a shot towards the top right. It’s heading in, but bravely blocked by Beraldo. That was really travelling. The ball’s deflected out for a corner, which is worked back to Fran Garcia, whose drive through a crowded box bounces harmlessly through to Donnarumma.
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73 min: Carvajal, not yet up to speed after his long, long break, picks up a quick booking for accidentally high-kicking Barcola.
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72 min: Hakimi slips Ramos into the Real box down the inside-right channel. Ramos shanks a shot wide under pressure from Militao. PSG hunting for this fourth goal.
71 min: To appreciative cheers, Carvajal returns to the Real Madrid team for the first time since suffering an ACL injury last October. He replaces Gonzalo Garcia.
70 min: Barcola chases a long pass down the left flank and breaks into the box. But before he can shoot, he’s correctly flagged for handling mid-dribble. PSG suddenly showing in attack again, though.
69 min: … Ramos has options to release a team-mate either side, but blooters a shot into the nearest defender instead. A huge chance to put paid to Real’s admittedly small-scale revival once and for all.
68 min: Real are enjoying their best spell of the game. They press PSG back and win a couple of corners. The second one leads to some head tennis, from which PSG break upfield, and …
66 min: PSG respond by burning through another two subs, removing Ruiz and Doue and sending on Zaire-Emery and Mayulu.
65 min: Real make a triple change, replacing Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Asencio with Militao, Modric and Diaz.
64 min: Bellingham barrels down the middle, space opening up in front of him. He shoots. Beraldo blocks. Mbappe wanted the pass, and isn’t happy. But Real recycle possession and win a corner out on he left. The set piece leads to Mbappe swinging in from the left. Donnarumma punches clear. This is better from Real, even if the bar is low.
62 min: Guler goes over in the PSG box when trying – and failing – to shield the ball from Mendes. It’s a good tackle and a desperate claim. Play is waved on.
61 min: So far, PSG have made 467 passes to Real Madrid’s 168. You have to wonder how often Real have been on the end of a lop-sided stat like that.
59 min: Real load the box but waste the free kick.
58 min: Vinicius Jr tries to get something going for Real, first shooting from a tight angle on the left – blocked – then drawing a free kick from Mendes down the same flank. Before the free kick can be taken, Kvaratskhelia and Dembele are replaced by Ramos and Barcola.
57 min: Kvaratskhelia cuts in from the left and curls a shot wide of the right-hand post. Then Hakimi probes down the right but his low cross is snaffled by Courtois. If there’s to be a fourth goal in this game, right now it’s PSG who look more likely to notch it.
56 min: Bellingham looks for Gonzalo Garcia down the right but falls backwards while making the pass, and the ball is sprayed into the stand. One goal could feasibly alter the mood and change the momentum, but Real don’t look like scoring it.
55 min: The pace drops. PSG stroke the ball hither and yon. Real, their spirit broken, don’t do much in the way of chasing down.
53 min: Valverde rolls a pass across the face of the PSG box from the right. Mbappe meets it first time, lashing wildly over the bar. You’d give quite a few shiny centimes for his thoughts right now.
52 min: Tchouameni lets the ball run under his foot and nearly lets Doue through on goal. He’s fortunate Doue isn’t on the front foot. This has been an utterly shambolic defensive display by Real.
51 min: Tchouameni clips Neves on the ankle. He’s already been booked, so wants to watch himself. Just a foul. In fact, he’s injured himself while challenging so requires some treatment. After a brief stoppage, he’s good to continue.
50 min: To be fair, the semi-automated replay shows Dembele was fairly clearly off. The Real defence working in tandem for once.
48 min: Kvaratskhelia sends Dembele free down the left. Dembele passes infield for Doue, who enters the box and slots into the bottom left. Fortunately for Real, there was an offside in the build-up. It must have been close, because Dembele looked on to the naked eye.
47 min: Valverde tries to get something going for Real down the right, but loses control, and Kvaratskhelia steals away with the ball. His crossfield pass nearly releases Doue down the right. Not this time. But then …
PSG get the second half started. No half-time changes.
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Half-time entertainment. Given what’s just happened, it’s worth reading this again.
HALF TIME: PSG 3-0 Real Madrid
… but there’s no time for the corner to be taken. Sweet, blessed relief for Real, who have been comprehensively worked over by this sensational PSG side. It’s no exaggeration to suggest it could easily be 6-0. It wouldn’t flatter PSG either. They’ve got one foot and four toes in the final.
45 min +4: Dembele strides down the left and, almost on the touchline, attempts to lob the out-of-position Courtois. His effort is dropping into the top-left corner, and Courtois is forced to tip over the bar. He whacks his hip on the upright in making the save.
45 min +3: Guler tries to release Mbappe into the box with a pass down the right channel, but Donnarumma is quickly off his line to smother.
45 min +2: The corner’s worked to the other flank. Mendes smacks a drive goalwards from a tight angle on the left. Courtois parries. Real try to counter, but Neves doesn’t allow Guler to break upfield. He’s booked for his illegal tug.
45 min +1: Hakimi threatens to burst down the right, forcing Fran Garcia to toe-poke the ball out for a corner. Garcia hangs his head. He’s had little support.
45 min: There will be three additional first-half minutes.
44 min: PSG continue to stroke the ball around imperiously. “If Enzo Maresca is watching this, he might want to think about self-deporting his Chelsea team some time before next Sunday,” suggests Justin Kavanagh.
42 min: Courtois comes out of his box and slices a clearance straight to Doue. The keeper breathes again as Doue fails to control the ball. Had he managed to do so, he’d have dispatched it into the empty net from 40 yards.
40 min: Again, it should be four. Kvaratskhelia glides into the Real box from the left, repositions the ball with his studs to confuse Asencio, and drags a low drive wide of the right-hand post. Courtois was rooted to the spot, so had that been on target … well.
39 min: Mbappe goes over in the PSG box, claiming a penalty, but the referee is quite correctly not interested, Neves having whipped the ball cleanly off his toe. Just about everyone involved with Real, players, staff and coach, are frowning real hard right now.
37 min: Kvaratskhelia steals the ball off Mbappe, then immediately nutmegs Guler before racing off down the left. Real are light at the back, and Kvaratskhelia has options. But Bellingham races back to execute a perfectly judged last-ditch tackle from behind. Four-nil looked on the cards there.
36 min: PSG stroke it around the back in relaxed style. Then the ball’s pinged down the right for Doue. Courtois is quickly up to the edge of his box to claim. Just as well.
34 min: Play restarts. “It feels like we’re at the point with Ousmane Dembélé that the Ballon d’Or vote feels like a formality,” observes Kári Tulinius. “Even last fall he seemed more like a fun player but wasted talent, and now he’s on the cusp of being an all-time great. Just give him the gong already.”
33 min: Xabi Alonso is well within his rights to give it to his players straight. But he stays calm, issuing tactical advice in a measured manner. “Assuming it stays 3-0 at half-time,” begins Peter Oh, “he can rally his troops by invoking Istanbul.” The way PSG are piling into Real, that’s quite the caveat.
32 min: Time for a drinks break. “Good friends, the roaring fire … the perfect time for a hot Dr Pepper! Delicious and so easy to prepare. Just heat Dr Pepper in a saucepan until it steams.”
30 min: Dembele and Hakimi rip Real apart down the right yet again. Bellingham gets back to bundle the ball away from Hakimi and out for a corner. At least he’s getting back. Not too much cover coming from either Mbappe or Vinicius, as implicitly demanded by Xabi Alonso in his pre-match interview. Anyway, nothing comes of the corner, but PSG don’t look in the mood to declare, so it might be an idea for the strikers to do some chasing back.
28 min: PSG play some Leeds v Southampton c 1972 style keep-ball. Olé! Tchouameni gets fed up and slides in aggressively on Hakimi. Into the book he goes.
26 min: Real Madrid look utterly stunned at what’s happened to them. They’re being given a proper Champions League final-style chasing here. Internazionale won’t be feeling quite so bad about themselves now.
GOAL! PSG 3-0 Real Madrid (Ruiz 24)
Dembele flicks Hakimi into acres of space down the right. Hakimi rolls into the centre. Ruiz takes a touch to see off a flailing Valverde, sitting him down, then gives Courtois the eyes before skelping a shot into the bottom right! Glorious sweeping pitch-length move.
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24 min: Mbappe reminds PSG that this isn’t over just yet, cutting in from the left and looking for the top right. His shot is deflected and the looper is an easy claim for Donnarumma. But then PSG counter, and …
23 min: Kvaratskhelia tries to release Ruiz into the box with a back-heel down the left. Not quite. But PSG are already dipping into their big box of tricks. That it’s come to this for Real Madrid with less than a quarter of the game gone.
21 min: Real show in attack for the first time in a good while, Vinicius Jr chasing a long pass down the left. It looks like he’ll get a shot away upon entering the box, but Mendes arrives from nowhere, making up all sorts of ground, and takes the ball off the striker’s toe as he’s preparing to shoot. Vinicius falls over, legs splayed, the latest Real player to lose the old dignity. What a sight this is.
20 min: Kvaratskhelia drives at Valverde down the left but is forced to turn tail. But there’s no panic, and he sends the ball towards Hakimi on the other flank. Hakimi advances and takes a diagonal shot towards the bottom-left corner. Just wide.
18 min: PSG are pinning Real back. Real can’t deal with their press at all. It feels like another PSG goal could arrive any time soon.
16 min: Bellingham is skittled by Hakimi out on the left. Guler sends the free kick into the mixer. Rudiger attempts to hoof goalwards and once again swipes at fresh air. As PSG clear, he ends up on his back, his legs kicking in the air. Not the most dignified few moments of Rudiger’s career.
14 min: Kvaratskhelia drops deep on the left before driving a pass down the channel intended to release Dembele. A bit too strong, and Courtois is able to come to the edge of his box and claim. Real are all over the shop.
12 min: Doue dribbles down the right and draws a clumsy foul from Fran Garcia. Vitinha delivers the free kick too flat, and Real are able to clear the ball, if not yet their heads. On the touchline, Xabi Alonso looks super-pained. A lot to think about already.
10 min: That’s the 35th goal of the season for Dembele. He’s got an assist today as well. But what on earth was Rudiger doing? The ball hit one foot while he was trying to clear with the other. Oh my.
GOAL! PSG 2-0 Real Madrid (Dembele 9)
Real implode in defence again! Rudiger takes a fresh-air swipe at a simple clearance. Dembele swans off with the ball, draws Courtois upon reaching the edge of the box, and whips across the keeper and into the bottom left! Wow.
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8 min: A mere six minutes in, and already we can say that the goal had been coming! But Real aren’t taking that blow lying down, and they nearly equalise immediately, Vinicius Jr whipping a cross in from the right. Gonzalo Garcia can’t quite get to it, and the ball sails inches wide of the left-hand post.
GOAL! PSG 1-0 Real Madrid (Ruiz 6)
… but Courtois can’t stop everything. Asencio takes a heavy touch on the penalty spot. Dembele nicks away with it. He’s cleaned out by Courtois, but there’s no need to blow for a penalty, because Ruiz is right next to the incident, and when the ball breaks to him, he slots into the bottom left. What a start!
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5 min: Ruiz swans in from the right and curls hard towards the bottom left. Courtois extends fully to tip away. PSG come again down the right. Hakimi crosses low for Dembele, who must score, six yards out, but is somehow denied by the spreading Courtois. Real’s keeper with two huge saves. He’s already in 2022 Champions League final mode!
3 min: Kvaratskhelia cuts in from the left and lashes a shot into the side netting. A quick start by both teams.
2 min: Bellingham steals the ball out on the left touchline with a lovely trap and dragback. He flicks it infield, and Tchouameni attempts to thread a shot into the bottom left. It takes a deflection and it’s a corner. The set piece is a waste of time. Such a shame that piece of skill from Bellingham didn’t lead to something memorable.
“Ladies and gentlemen! Let’s get ready to rumble!” And with that battle cry, Real Madrid get the ball rolling.
At last … here come the players! One by one. PSG first, in their new blue shirts with red-lattice stripe that [squints] “pays tribute to Paris’s architectural heritage.” Then out come Real Madrid in white shirts that [narrows eyes again, adjusts pince-nez] “mark the Bernabéu’s latest refurbishment with a design featuring subtle shapes, textures and colours borrowed from its long and storied history … a performance-focused construction for quick-fire football with heat-applied club crest for unparalleled inspiration.” Soccer!
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Kick-off delayed
Kick-off has been delayed until 3.10pm local time, 8.10pm UK time. That’s because both teams got caught in traffic on their way to the stadium from their Manhattan hotels, and rocked up 20 minutes later than expected. Real have had no luck whatsoever on their travels: their flight to NYC was delayed for three hours last night due to storms.
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DAZN ask Xabi Alonso about the absent Trent. “Yesterday in training he felt something … a small discomfort but not good enough to play today … for sure it is a blow … to deal with that is part of the job … we will miss him … we need to defend as a team, a unit … a good performance … a big challenge today … [Mbappé and Gonzalo Garcia] need to create in attack but also to commit in defence … we need to play as a unit when we have the ball and don’t have it … we are facing a good team so let’s see … we are ready … we are one step closer to the final and we want to make it … it’s a big one … a big challenge … [his brief period with his new players] has been intense and productive … build the basics of what we want for the next season.”
The winners of this semi-final will face Chelsea in Sunday’s final. For those of you who missed last night’s match, here’s what happened. João Pedro is what happened.
These clubs last met in 2022 in the Champions League. PSG looked like winning the round-of-16 tie, but threw away a two-goal aggregate lead in the second half of the second leg at the Bernabeu, Karim Benzema stunning them with a 16-minute hat-trick. At which point we all began to wonder whether PSG would ever win the trophy they craved more than any other. But here we are now. Three years is an awfully long time in football.
Here’s how the two teams made it through the quarters. A couple of games that got super-hectic towards the end.
Pre-match reading. A tale of blackmail and revenge, power and money, claim and counter-claim. The good doctor explains why all eyes will be on Kylian Mbappé this afternoon.
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PSG make two changes to their starting XI from the incident-packed quarter-final 2-0 win over Bayern Munich. Lucas Beraldo replaces the suspended Willian Pacho in defence, while Ousmane Dembélé takes the place up front of Bradley Barcola, who is benched.
Real Madrid also make two changes to their starting line-up, following their 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund. Raúl Asencio comes in for suspended defender Dean Huijsen, while Kylian Mbappé makes his first start of the tournament. Trent Alexander-Arnold is out injured.
The teams
Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Marquinhos, Lucas Beraldo, Vitinha, Neves, Fabian, Dembele, Doue, Kvaratskhelia.
Subs: Safonov, Tenas, Kamara, Lee, Zaire Emery, Mayulu, Goncalo Ramos, Barcola, Mbaye.
Real Madrid: Courtois, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Asencio, Valverde, Francisco Garcia, Bellingham, Guler, Mbappe, Gonzalo Garcia, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Lunin, Lucas, Carvajal, Eder Militao, Ramon, Lekhedim, Modric, Ceballos, Diaz, Camavinga, Martin, Andres, Rodrygo, Munoz.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
Preamble
Yes, there are issues with the newly expanded Club World Cup. And they have been, quite correctly, well documented. But you’re here. I’m here. Let’s all of us not pretend that, despite it all, a semi-final clash between the most entertaining team on the planet right now and a brand-new incarnation of the most prestigious club side in the world isn’t anything other than exciting. Enticing. Exotic. Erotic. It kicks off at 8pm UK time, 3pm in New Jersey. It’s on!
