Paris Saint-Germain Dominates Real Madrid in Club World Cup Semifinal
Paris Saint-Germain secured a 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League final, solidifying their position as one of the dominant soccer teams of the mid-2020s. "We have always said that the collective work by the players is what's helping us," said Fabián Ruiz, who scored twice as PSG built a three-goal lead in the first 24 minutes. PSG's young team, coached by Luis Enrique, has achieved a historic quadruple with a chance to win its fourth major title of the season.
Key Takeaways:
- PSG scored 5 goals against Inter Milan in the Champions League final, with Fabián Ruiz scoring twice in the first 24 minutes.
- PSG has outscored opponents 16-1 in six matches, with players such as Dembélé, Hakimi, and Ruiz contributing multiple goals.
- PSG has not allowed a goal since a 1-0 loss to Botofogo in its second group-stage match.
- Real Madrid has 15 European and five world titles, a modern global superpower brand established two decades ago in the Galacticos era.
- PSG has won 11 of 13 French championships since 2013, but this season's success marks a new level of achievement for the team.
- PSG's coach, Luis Enrique, praised the team's achievement, stating, "I think he (Dembélé) is the best player this season by a long term and I think he deserves to win everything because he gave everything to the team and the team is going to achieve trophies, which is the most important thing for a club."
- PSG has dominated every aspect of the game, with a 631-255 advantage in completed passes and 67% possession, including 76.5% in the first half.
- Real coach Xabi Alonso stated, "It's a painful defeat. We were not up to standard today."
- PSG will face Chelsea in the final on Sunday, with a chance to win its fourth major title of the season exactly 100 days after it added the Champions League title.
Statistics:
- PSG scored 5 goals in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
- PSG has outscored opponents 16-1 in six matches.
- PSG has not allowed a goal since a 1-0 loss to Botofogo in its second group-stage match.
- PSG has a 631-255 advantage in completed passes against Real Madrid.
- PSG had 67% possession of the game, including 76.5% in the first half.
- PSG's coach, Luis Enrique, has praised the team's achievement, stating that Dembélé is the best player this season.
Sources:
- AP: "Paris Saint-Germain beats Inter Milan 5-0 in Champions League final" (no date)
- AP: "Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso says team was not up to standard against PSG" (no date)
- AP: "Luis Enrique praises PSG's achievement, saying Dembélé is the best player this season" (no date)
- AP: "Paris Saint-Germain Dominates Real Madrid in Club World Cup Semifinal" (no date)
- Nuria Diaz Muñoz, AP freelance writer: contributed to this report (no date)
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