PSG win to advance to last 16 of Club World Cup
Achraf Hakimi sealed the victory for Paris-Saint Germain midway through the second half. Photo: Reuters
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored either side of half-time as European champions Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders to secure their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup.
PSG needed to bounce back from their 1-0 loss at the hands of Botafogo in their last Group B outing and they were too strong for the MLS side without ever really playing to their full potential.
Kvaratskhelia deflected a wayward Vitinha shot into the net to open the scoring on 35 minutes in front of 50,628 fans at Lumen Field, Sounders' home stadium.
Hakimi then made it 2-0 just before the midway point in the second half to kill off any prospect of a comeback by the hosts.
PSG are through and advance as group winners on goal difference, climbing up from second place because of Botafogo's late defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid at the same time in Pasadena.
The French champions will now go through to a tie against the Group A runners-up in Atlanta on Sunday, as they leave the west coast for the first time since arriving in the United States.
"It wasn't easy because the pitch was very different to what we are used to in Europe so we couldn't play with the fluidity that we like, but we adapted," said PSG coach Luis Enrique.
He complained that the ball "bounced around like a rabbit" but also praised the opposition for their performance.
"It was a great match, difficult for us, tough from the beginning because Seattle played a great match, with intensity and quality on and off the ball," said the Spaniard. (AFP)
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