
PSG fall to humiliating Club World Cup defeat by Brazilian side Botafogo to leave Champions League winners' qualifying hopes in the balance
Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shock 1-0 defeat against Brazilian side Botafogo at the Club World Cup - leaving their hopes of qualifying in the balance.
A first-half goal from Brazilian international Igor Jesus proved the difference between the reigning champions of Europe and South America at the Pasadena Rose Bowl.
PSG were widely tipped as one of the hot favourites to win the new-look 32-team tournament after a stunning campaign which culminated in their thumping 5-0 victory against Inter Milan in the Champions League final last month.
They also hadn't lost in any competition since May 3 and Luis Enrique took the opportunity to rotate his side in California. Notably, Goncalo Ramos started at centre forward ahead of Ousmane Dembele, who remains out injured.
However, their hopes of wrapping up a win which would have seen them become the first side to reach the last-16 were dashed by Botafogo's brave display.
Fresh from their opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in Group B, PSG flew out of the blocks and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tested goalkeeper John after just two minutes.
But it was Botafogo who broke the deadlock against the run of play on 36 minutes.
Jefferson Savarino released Jesus through on goal with an inch-perfect, defence-splitting pass and the striker did well to wrongfoot Willian Pacho before rifling beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma, courtesy of a slight deflection.
PSG, who had scored 19 goals in their last five matches, flooded forward in search of a leveller and looked to have found one when Bradley Barcola fired home.
The goal was ruled out for offside, however, and Botafogo held out for a famous win.
'I think it's normal,' said PSG boss Luis Enrique. 'This competition is very intense and difficult. Every team is motivated, especially against our team.
'I think sometimes our team struggled against their defense. I think Botafogo is one of the toughest defensive teams in the tournament.'
After shutting out the serial scorers, Botafogo are now firmly on course for the last-16 and face Atletico Madrid - again in Pasadena - in their final game on Monday.
The last time a Champions League holder lost to a South American side came back in 2012, when Corinthians stunned Chelsea in the Club World Cup final.
To avoid a red-faced elimination, PSG must beat MLS outfit Seattle Sounders, who have been knocked out of the tournament, in their last group match.

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