Paris Saint-Germain 0 Botafogo 1 – Are Europe's struggles good for the Club World Cup?
Europe's teams lost twice in one day at the Club World Cup as Botafogo shocked Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain to take control of group B.
The Copa Libertadores holders took a first-half lead when Marlon Freitas released Igor Jesus who got the better of PSG centre-backs Willian Pacho and Lucas Beraldo before getting a shot away that deflected off Pacho and past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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Early in the second half, Botafogo goalkeeper John blocked a close-range header from Goncalo Ramos and Luis Enrique sent on Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola, Nuno Mendes and Fabian Ruiz as the start of a series of substitutions to try and equalise but the John Textor-owned team from Brazil held on to beat his rival Nasser Al-Khelaifi's Qatar-backed PSG.
Botafogo's win at a raucous Rose Bowl in Pasadena leaves them three points clear at the top of group B with four of the eight pools now led by teams from South America.
Here The Athletic's Jack Lang, Jordan Campbell and Austin Green analyse the game's key talking points.
For the first six days of the tournament it did not happen, but then two European teams lost in the space of eight hours.
It is a healthy development for the competition as there were fears the gulf between Europe and the other continents would be so pronounced that the group stage was uncompetitive.
Inter Miami beating Porto was the first real dent in the idea of Europe invincibility but Botafogo beating the reigning UEFA Champions League holders PSG was the sort of upset that can change the entire dynamics of a tournament.
The Brazilian side defended resolutely and were able to regularly counter on the French champions.
European sides have found it difficult to cope with the speed of PSG's moves but Botafogo matched them physically for most of the game.
South American teams have now won five, drawn three and lost none of their games against opposition from other continents.
The conditions may be more natural to some of the South American sides, who are also mid-season, but the European sides are finding that this is not the walkover they may have been expecting.
Jordan Campbell
Pacho and Beraldo seemed to have the situation well under control. Botafogo had nicked the ball in midfield but the PSG centre backs were well placed. There was a gap between them, but it was tiny, no more than three metres. No one was going to get through that.
Then along came Igor Jesus.
The Botafogo striker is not one of those subtle strikers. He doesn't paint pictures with his feet. He can look ungainly, a little imprecise. Tell him to run onto something, though, and he'll do it all day, then come back the morning after and ask for more.
He saw the gap, laughed at it, barrelled into it like a wild horse. The pass came from Jefferson Savarino, as he knew it would. From there, it was just about maintaining the momentum. A second and a couple of touches later, the ball was in the net and Igor Jesus was in the crowd, being smothered in hugs.
It's been a funny 12 months for the 24-year-old. Not so long ago, he was leading the line for the Brazil national team, the main individual beneficiary of Botafogo's all-conquering 2024 season. He has found the going much harder since the turn of the year. It was, in truth, a slight surprise when Nottingham Forest agreed to make a Premier League player of him in June.
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Here, though, he showed his true potential. This may be his goodbye tour, but there is still a chance for him to make a few more memories in black and white yet.
Jack Lang
For PSG's first match of this tournament against a non-European side, Luis Enrique opted to sit several of his usual first-choice starters.
Gonçalo Ramos started at centre-forward for the injured Ousmane Dembelet. Senny Mayulu and Warren Zaire-Emery flanked Vitinha in the midfield. Lucas Hernandez and Beraldo started on the back line over Mendes and Marquinhos.
The results were mixed. PSG dominated possession but struggled to finish chances. They largely went away from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia after the winger created two superb opportunities for himself in the opening 15 minutes. Ramos was a non-factor and missed a chance at a tap-in goal because he failed to make a run at a Desire Doue cross into the box in the first half. Beraldo and Pacho had their moments in central defence but were also responsible for giving up Igor Jesus' goal.
It didn't take long after half-time — and another superb Botafogo chance on the counter — for Luis Enrique to determine he had seen enough. In came Barcola, Ruiz, Neves and Mendes in the 55th minute.
The result was a livelier, more balanced PSG attack and one that negated Botafogo's counterattacking threat. But it was too little, too late. It's not just that PSG didn't find an equalizer, they barely had a quality chance until late in the second half. Credit Botafogo for superb positioning as the Brazilian side's back line grew more comfortable as the game went on.
But given those early chances and PSG's early-scoring prowess throughout their run through the Champions League, it's hard not to second-guess Enrique's decision to sit so many first-choice players and not press for an early goal to then allow for some earlier-than-usual substitutions on the back end.
Austin Green
Monday, June 23: Seattle Sounders, Club World Cup group stage (Seattle), 3pm ET, 8pm UK
Monday, June 23: Atletico Madrid, Club World Cup group stage (Pasadena), 3pm ET, 8pm UK
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