Botafogo upset UCL champs PSG at FIFA Club World Cup

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Igor Jesus’ 36th infinitesimal extremity was capable for Botafago to decision the Europeans champions PSG astatine the Rose Bowl successful Los Angeles.

Published On 20 Jun 2025

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) suffered a daze 1-0 Club World Cup decision against Brazilian broadside Botafogo successful a hard-fought conflict betwixt the reigning champions of Europe and South America.

A first-half extremity from Brazilian planetary Igor Jesus proved the quality connected Thursday arsenic Botafogo each but sealed a spot successful the knockout rounds successful beforehand of a 53,699 assemblage astatine the Pasadena Rose Bowl.

French champions PSG are wide regarded arsenic 1 of the favourites for FIFA’s 32-team tourney aft a dazzling play which culminated with a scintillating 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan successful the UEFA Champions League last past month.

But their hopes of securing a victory, which would person seen them go the archetypal broadside to scope the past 16, were stymied by a resilient show from their opponents from Rio de Janeiro.

“A batch of radical wondered, but we showed however beardown Botafogo is,” extremity scorer Jesus said aft the win. “It was a hard game, and we had to support well, and we did our occupation and scored a goal.

“We’re truly blessed – we knew however important this crippled was. One squad was the champion of the Champions League, the different squad was the champion of South America,” added Jesus, who had been powerfully linked with a determination to English Premier League broadside Nottingham Forest earlier this twelvemonth earlier opting to enactment with the Brazilians to play successful the Club World Cup.

“I deliberation I made the close prime to enactment successful Botafogo,” Jesus quipped.

Setback for PSG

PSG manager Luis Enrique said his squad had expected a pugnacious battle.

“We knew it was going to beryllium a precise hard lucifer – they defended precise well,” the Spaniard said.

“This Club World Cup is precise aggravated and difficult, and each the teams are highly motivated, particularly erstwhile they’re playing against us.”

The PSG manager, though, was adamant that the European champions inactive had plentifulness of clip to resurrect their campaign.

“If there’s a squad that tin crook it around, it’s our team,” helium said. “We’ve got to analyse this and there’s things we tin improve. But I deliberation our show was good.”

PSG picked up wherever they had near disconnected successful Sunday’s 4-0 Group B rout of Atletico Madrid, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia investigating Botafogo goalkeeper John with an aboriginal curling effort aft conscionable 2 minutes.

But that aboriginal effort was arsenic adjacent arsenic PSG came to scoring successful a scrappy archetypal fractional punctuated by a bid of niggling fouls that prevented the European champions from settling into their passing game.

Botafogo’s midfield trio of Marlon Freitas, Gregore and Allan worked tirelessly to adjacent down Vitinha, denying the skilful PSG playmaker clip and abstraction to motorboat attacks contempt dominating possession.

Instead, it was Botafogo who took the pb with a extremity against the tally of play connected 36 minutes.

Jefferson Savarino’s perfectly weighted done shot divided the PSG defence and sent Jesus racing done connected goal.

The Botafogo striker did brilliantly to wrongfoot the covering Willian Pacho earlier sweeping a changeable that took a flimsy deflection past PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma connected its mode into the net.

PSG continued to predominate possession done the 2nd half, and spent agelong periods camped successful the last third.

But Botafogo’s defence held steadfast and the effect leaves the Brazilians firmly connected people for the past 16, with a last radical crippled against Atletico Madrid to travel successful Pasadena connected Monday.