Real Madrid Suffers Historic Defeat as PSG Demolition Sets Unwanted 2024-25 Season Record

Real Madrid's heavy 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semifinal resulted in Los Blancos equaling their institutional record for most goals allowed in a single campaign.

Defensive vulnerabilities became a major discussion point throughout Carlo Ancelotti's concluding season as head coach, and incoming manager Xabi Alonso couldn't resolve this problem despite being thrust into the challenging situation during the Club World Cup.

The devastating loss to PSG marked the fifth occasion this season where Madrid allowed four or more goals in a match—including the 4-4 stalemate with Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey that extended to 120 minutes—and resulted in the club matching their unwelcome record for goals conceded in one season.

After allowing four goals versus PSG, Madrid concluded the 2024-25 campaign having surrendered 84 goals in all tournaments. The club hasn't conceded this many goals since the 1998-99 season.

It should be noted that Madrid participated in more matches than previously this season, as the revised Champions League structure contributed additional fixtures alongside extra games from the Club World Cup and restructured Spanish Supercopa.

Madrid managed to secure clean sheets in 22 matches across all tournaments, but Ancelotti's squad displayed moments of serious defensive concerns at times, with situations deteriorating rapidly on multiple occasions.

Barcelona netted four goals in both La Liga Clásicos and scored five in the Supercopa final. Additional painful losses featured a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal and a 3-2 loss to Barça in the Copa del Rey final.

Alonso is anticipated to conduct crucial discussions with Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and numerous other players to tackle the disappointing conclusion to their Club World Cup journey, with the defensive contribution of his attacking players being particularly troublesome.