Football Daily | Paris Mismatch At Club World Cup As Real Madrid Fail To Turn Up Again

A REAL HIDING

When Real Madrid refused en masse to move up for past year’s Ballon d’Or ceremonial because they knew their man connected nan shortlist hadn’t won nan main award, their snub was wide and correctly perceived to person been an enactment of the astir utmost petulance. And while their players and coaching unit did deign to be past night’s Copa Gianni semi-final astatine nan MetLife EnormoDome, they surely didn’t move up successful immoderate meaningful consciousness of nan connection and were duly humiliated by Paris Saint-Germain, nan Bigger Cup holders Kylian Mbappé famously abandoned past summertime to prosecute his dream of … winning Bigger Cup. Subjected to nan footballing balanced of being attacked by a swarm of angry bees, Real simply had nary answers for PSG’s terrifyingly energetic onslaught crossed 90 minutes.

By nan clip 9 of them had elapsed, Thibaut Courtois had already made 2 world-class saves but was helpless to forestall Fabián Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé spanking 2 shots past him aft capitalising connected immoderate comically slapstick defending by Raúl Asencio and Tony Rüdiger. As nan German was harried into an embarrassing air-hoof successful nan look of mild unit from Dembélé, Football Daily could only hazard a conjecture astatine nan thoughts going done nan famously self-aware Mbappé’s mind. Perhaps a blissfully unironic: “Why weren’t they this tenacious erstwhile I played for them?” In nan extremity PSG booked their spot successful nan last courtesy of a 4-0 win that, if anything, flattered their exalted opponents. As nan hoary aged saw goes, Real Madrid ever find a measurement … moreover if, connected this occasion, it was 1 that made themselves look for illustration a group of stationary achromatic cones laid retired for a PSG training session.

“I time off present pinch tons of certainties and adjacent twelvemonth will beryllium different,” said Xabi Alonso, who aft conscionable six games successful complaint of Real knows that successful Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior he is some blessed and cursed pinch 2 extraordinarily talented players who steadfastly garbage to do their stock of nan grunt work. Compare and opposition pinch each and each personnel of nan PSG squad, who ne'er person to beryllium reminded to clip nan hedge, do nan laundry aliases put nan bins out. “We didn’t put nan brakes connected but of people pinch nan heat, pinch nan last successful 3 days’ time, pinch cramp and nan consequence of tiredness, you act,” said Luis Enrique aft nan game, arsenic he appeared to simultaneously corroborate and deny that his squad had really taken it easy connected Real successful nan 2nd half.

Asked to explicate nan cardinal to his team’s success, he highlighted its “insuperable” play. And while it’s not often that nan post-match musings of a shot head punctual Football Daily to scope for its trusty Oxford English Dictionary, it came arsenic nary astonishment to spot nan meaning successful mobility illustrated by a swarm of angry bees. The Spaniard went connected to laud nan mode successful which his players “give everything astatine nan work of nan team”, successful praise arsenic pointed arsenic a tungsten needle. In a fairytale last pitting 2 of Europe’s pluckiest underdogs together, PSG must now hit Chelsea to complete an awesome and unprecedented quadruple. “We are going to try,” said Luis Enrique. “One much measurement against a bully squad for illustration Chelsea. They execute nan full title and now it is clip for america to prepare, effort to recover. [We are] almost there. We want to make history successful our nine and past return our holidays.” Having consigned truthful galore elite teams to nan formation successful nan past mates of months, it seems only adjacent PSG get their move connected nan deckchairs.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

Chelsea did connection maine different contract, but I decided to spell to Aston Villa because they were successful nan Championship. And I had an statement pinch Villa that if we sewage promoted that twelvemonth – we mislaid successful nan playoff last to Fulham – that I wouldn’t play against Chelsea nan pursuing twelvemonth successful nan Premier League. So nan 2 games I would person missed nan adjacent twelvemonth would person been Chelsea, it conscionable wouldn’t person felt right” – Plain Old John Terry tells TalkSport that his Aston Villa statement included a ‘won’t play against Chelsea’ clause.

John Terry, ducking Chelsea by taking a coaching occupation successful nan Baller League. Photograph: Ben Whitley/PA

“Re John Muller’s story, I was nan first caput coach of nan USL’s Columbus Xoggz successful 1994. That twelvemonth Fifa experimented pinch nan game’s laws and decided that each location section successful nan USL would play pinch its ain 2 modified laws. We played 1993 USL champs Atlanta, astatine their place, wherever each throw-ins were now kick-ins! With nary offside for throw-ins, we unsurprisingly thumped each 1 into their box. I judge nan last people was 4-2 to nan bully guys” – Christophe Brown.

“Luis Enrique denied that PSG took their ft disconnected nan gas arsenic his broadside schooled Real Madrid successful nan creation of attacking football. But it seems personification whitethorn person been inclined to spare Real from further punishment. We saw 10 substitutions successful nan 2nd half. That ought to mean a fewer minutes of added clip (not to mention much clip being added for wounded stoppages and a cooling break). Yet nan referee blew his whistle correct connected nan 90-minute mark. I dream it wasn’t aimed astatine preventing Madrid’s marque from suffering further embarrassment” – Mark McFadden.

“Perhaps Bryan Evans should besides person pointed retired to Frankie Dodds and nan aforementioned Mr Glendenning that nan M1 (Republic of Ireland version) does not ‘become’ nan A1 astatine nan separator but terminates respective kilometres to nan south, adjacent nan colony of Ballymascanlan. From there, nan roadworthy to nan separator is officially nan N1” – David Mack (and nary others).

“Re Wednesday’s Memory Lane [full email edition], Ray Parlour was not being a plonker, he was justly proud that he could spend a waterproof watch (the 1993 balanced of a Lamborghini and an flat successful Monaco)“ – Robert Blanchard.

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless missive o’ nan time victor is … Christophe Brown. Terms and conditions for our competitions tin beryllium viewed here.

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