Kylian Mbappé is set to face his former club, Paris Saint-Germain for the first time since his controversial departure, as Real Madrid prepare for a high-stakes Club World Cup semi-final clash on July 9 in New Jersey.

The blockbuster encounter pits Mbappé against the club where he became a legend—scoring 256 goals in 308 appearances over seven seasons—before leaving on a free transfer to fulfil a childhood dream of playing for Real Madrid.

While Mbappé’s on-field legacy at PSG is undeniable, his exit in 2024 was marred by tension. PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was reportedly furious that the French superstar allowed his contract to expire, denying the club a transfer fee. The fallout has since escalated into a legal dispute, with Mbappé claiming he is owed €55 million in unpaid wages and bonuses.

Only last month, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed an investigation into allegations of “moral harassment” after Mbappé accused PSG of ostracising him during the summer of 2023. He was excluded from the club’s pre-season tour and trained separately after refusing to sign a contract extension. However, he later dropped the complaint, according to one of his lawyers.

Despite the off-field drama, the 26-year-old France captain has thrived in his debut season at Madrid, scoring 43 goals in 56 matches across all competitions. His performances have been central to Xabi Alonso’s bright start as Real Madrid manager.

Mbappé’s Club World Cup campaign, however, got off to a slow start. A stomach bug kept him out of the group stage, during which young forward Gonzalo García stepped up impressively with four goals in five matches, including the opener in a 3-2 quarter-final win over Borussia Dortmund.

But Mbappé announced his arrival in style, coming off the bench in that match to score a stunning overhead kick that proved to be the winner in stoppage time.

“He is still not at 100 percent, but he is getting better every day,” Alonso said after the match. “Now he has three days to keep progressing before the semi-final.”

The semi-final also marks a tactical test for Alonso, who has shown flexibility by switching between back-four and three-man defence systems throughout the tournament. His next move could hinge on PSG’s strengths—particularly as the French champions arrive in top form.

PSG, under Luis Enrique, are brimming with confidence after a dominant 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League final and a gritty 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, despite finishing that match with nine men following red cards to Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez.

For Enrique, the semi-final carries personal significance. The former Spanish international spent five years as a Real Madrid player in the 1990s before joining rivals Barcelona. Yet, he remained focused on the task at hand: “It doesn’t matter who we play in the semi-finals. What matters is that we’re here and determined to reach the final.”

For Mbappé, the stage is set for a dramatic showdown against his former club—his first time facing PSG since his days as a teenage sensation at AS Monaco in 2017. All eyes will be on MetLife Stadium as one of football’s biggest storylines unfolds.

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Real Madrid edged past Borussia Dortmund 3-2 in a dramatic Club World Cup quarter-final on Saturday to set up a last-four clash with Paris St Germain.

The Spanish giants stamped their authority on the match early at the MetLife Stadium, dominating possession and opening a two-goal lead thanks to strikes by Gonzalo and Fran Garcia in the 10th and 20th minutes.

Gonzalo, the 21-year-old forward continuing his breakout tournament, opened the scoring with a close-range volley from Arda Guler’s cross.

Ten minutes later, Garcia doubled Real’s lead, arriving at the far post to turn in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low delivery after an incisive move down the right.

Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr. squandered chances to extend Real’s lead before halftime, while Aurelien Tchouameni came closest in the second half, rattling the crossbar with a curling effort from the edge of the box.

Despite the reduced intensity of play in New Jersey’s scorching heat, Real comfortably saw out the match, leaving Dortmund unable to mount a comeback until the game exploded into life in 10 minutes of mayhem in added time.

Substitute Maximilian Beier pounced on a rebound in the 93rd minute to pull one back for Dortmund, but a minute later Kylian Mbappe restored Real’s two-goal cushion with a stunning volley.

Dortmund refused to back down, however, and Serhou Guirassy’s pace saw him break through Real’s defence only to be pulled down in the box by Dean Huijsen.

The defender was shown a straight red card, ruling him out of the semi-final, and Guirassy coolly converted the resulting spot-kick to reduce the deficit to 3-2.

Dortmund came within inches of forcing extra time when in the ninth minute of added time Thibaut Courtois produced a sensational save to deny Marcel Sabitzer’s powerful strike.

“We were doing really well and the match looked under control but then in the last 10 minutes things got crazy,” Real manager Xabi Alonso told DAZN.

“We have lost a little bit our focus and intensity when we didn’t have the ball and luckily nothing else happened. But overall we have had good 80 minutes and the last 10 minutes to improve.”

Real Madrid now turn their attention to PSG, who defeated Bayern Munich 2-0 to book their place in the semi-finals. The winners of that clash will face Fluminense or Chelsea, who meet on Tuesday, in the final.

Reuters

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Paris St Germain snatched a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich on Saturday to reach the Club World Cup semi-finals, with Ousmane Dembele embodying the composure of Luis Enrique’s side as he sealed the victory when his team were down to nine men.

Dembele found the back of the net six minutes into added time after being superbly set up by Achraf Hakimi and the French forward also shone defensively by pressing relentlessly and initiating the move that led to his decisive goal.

“I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Mr Ousmane Dembele,” coach Luis Enrique said after PSG’s Champions League final win over Inter Milan. “The way he defended…only that can be worth the Ballon d’Or. This is how you lead a team.”

Dembele proved his coach right once again against Bayern.

Rested for the group stage after sustaining a thigh injury and only coming off the bench after halftime in the last 16 and in the quarter-final, Dembele brought an incredible energy to a team who had been dominated by Bayern.

“It’s an important period for us. We had a score to settle with Bayern after the 2020 (Champions League) final (won by Bayern 1-0) and after they beat us earlier this season,” captain Marquinhos said. “We want to win this competition.”

PSG went ahead through Desire Doue, his first goal in the tournament.

“I try to help the team by scoring, but also with my efforts, notably defensively,” Doue said.

PSG, seeking a quadruple of titles after winning the Champions League, French Cup and the Ligue 1 title, will face Borussia Dortmund or Real Madrid for a place in the final.

They will be without centre back Willian Pacho and defender Lucas Hernandez, who picked up straight red cards after Doue’s opening goal.

“The first one is a clear red card,” coach Luis Enrique said. “I’m not sure about the second one. We deserved the win but it was really really hard. Nothing special. Business as usual.”

-Reuters