FIFA Club World Cup: PSG thrashes Atletico Madrid 4-0 to kick off campaign
Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain crushed fellow European heavyweight Atletico Madrid 4-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday to get its Club World Cup campaign off to a winning start.
PSG landed the first blow in the Group B clash when Fabian Ruiz fired home from a distance in the 19th minute, as it showed no signs of rust in its first match since trouncing Inter Milan 5-0 to win its first Champions League title last month.
PSG doubled its advantage just before half-time when an Antoine Griezmann miss led to a counter-attack that ended with Vitinha firing home under sunny skies in Southern California.
The LaLiga side appeared to have pulled one back when Julian Alvarez found the net in the 57th minute but it was overturned after a VAR review determined Koke had fouled Desire Doue in the lead-up to the strike, with Atletico coach Diego Simeone sarcastically applauding the decision from the sideline.
The Spanish side's nightmare continued when defender Clement Lenglet was sent off after receiving a second yellow card, and Alexander Sorloth inexplicably missed what should have been a tap-in, instead sending it over the bar.
READ: Club World Cup: Bayern Munich routs Auckland City 10-0 as fans unfurl banner to 'Smash FIFA!'
Substitute Senny Mayulu added a third goal for PSG in the 87th minute to end any hopes of an Atletico comeback, while Lee Kang-in fired home a stoppage-time penalty to round off the scoring.
PSG will be back at the Rose Bowl on Thursday to face Brazilian team Botafogo while Atletico will travel north to Seattle to take on MLS side the Seattle Sounders.
'The hardest thing to do in football is to maintain the level, not just going high and low,' Vitinha, who was named man of the match, said.
'That's what I tried to do. Very good performance by the team and a very good start to this competition.'
PSG was without Frenchman and Ballon d'Or favourite Ousmane Dembele, who suffered an injury while playing for France in the UEFA Nations League earlier this month, but the side hardly needed him on Sunday.
It had 74 per cent possession and 11 shots on target compared to Atletico Madrid's one.
The historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena was rocking thanks to the 80,000 fans who turned out amid the hot midday sun one year before the U.S. will co-host the World Cup along with Mexico and Canada.
'It was a different environment, but it feels good to see so many people in the USA here to watch soccer, or to watch football, as I say,' Vitinha added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
27 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
German regulator pushes for more fan control of soccer clubs like Bayer Leverkusen
BONN, Germany — Top German soccer clubs including Bayer Leverkusen and Leipzig face the prospect of handing over more control to fans after a regulator intervened. A statement Monday from Germany's antitrust regulator, the Federal Cartel Office, said it wants to see tighter enforcement of the rule known as 50-plus-1 which requires a soccer club's membership to have majority voting rights over how the team is run. The regulator said recent European court rulings suggest permanent exemptions from 50-plus-1 for last year's champion Leverkusen and fellow top-tier club Wolfsburg seem 'no longer possible.' It said efforts should be made in the future to ensure the club's professional soccer operations come under the control of membership organizations, but didn't name any deadline. Leverkusen and Wolfsburg were founded as workers' teams at major companies which own the clubs, with pharmaceutical giant Bayer at Leverkusen, and car manufacturer Volkswagen at Wolfsburg. Their long-term involvement led to the clubs getting exemptions from 50-plus-1. The regulator also said the German men's soccer league needs to ensure the clubs it oversees 'offer their fans the opportunity to become a new full member with voting rights.' That appears to affect Leipzig and its relationship with drinks giant Red Bull, though they weren't directly named by the regulator in Tuesday's statement. The club was founded by Red Bull in 2009 and is part of its international network of soccer clubs. It grants voting rights to far fewer people than most German clubs. Local media reported that only 23 members had the right to vote at Leipzig as of last year. soccer: /hub/soccer
Hindustan Times
32 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
India eye stronger response against Argentina
London, Having started their European leg with two narrow defeats, the Indian women's hockey team will be eager to bounce back when it takes on world No. 2 Argentina in back-to-back matches in the FIH Pro League. Salima Tete and her side went down 1-2 and 2-3 to Australia over the weekend and will have little time to regroup before facing a formidable Argentine outfit that has won seven of its 12 league matches so far. "Argentina is ranked No. 2 in the world and has won 7 of their 12 FIH Pro League matches so far. Coming into this leg of the league, we knew they would be one of the toughest teams to beat," Tete was quoted as saying by Hockey India. "But we won't go down without a fight we'll give it our all in both matches. The team has been training well to take them on and has been working on various strategies to win crucial points against them," she added. India, currently seventh in the standings with nine points, are aiming for a turnaround. Argentina sit second on the table and will be eyeing full points to keep pressure on leaders Netherlands. "As you saw, the team gave Australia a tough fight in the last two matches, and we're planning to do the same against Argentina," vice captain Navneet Kaur said. "We'll give it our all and aim to come out victorious. A win against Argentina will not only help us gain points but will also give the team a big morale boost as we head to Antwerp and then Berlin for our matches against Belgium and China," she added. India will play their first match against Argentina on Tuesday followed by the second match a day later.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
41 minutes ago
- Business Standard
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Highlights: Bayern, PSG register thumping wins
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup continued its action on Sunday as Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain sent strong early signals of their title ambitions. Both clubs, backed by their impressive European seasons, walked onto the global stage with no signs of rust or hesitation. Bayern inflicted a merciless 10-0 defeat on Auckland City, while PSG comfortably outplayed Atletico de Madrid 4-0 in testing heat. The evening also featured two other matches, where Al Ahly edged Urawa Reds in a tense finish, and Monterrey handled Al Ittihad with clinical precision. For Bayern and PSG, it wasn't just about the scorelines—it was the sheer quality, focus and hunger that stood out. The gulf in class was evident, and both teams played like they had a point to prove despite being favourites. Musiala, Muller steal the show as Bayern maul Auckland Bayern Munich opened their campaign in brutal fashion at TQL Stadium, tearing apart Auckland City with a ten-goal blitz. Jamal Musiala stood tall with a hat-trick in the second half, while Thomas Muller and Kingsley Coman chipped in with two each. Michael Olise and Sacha Boey also found the net, as the German giants raced to a 6-0 lead by half-time. Coach Vincent Kompany, speaking post-match, downplayed the scoreline but admitted that goal difference could be key in the group stage. Muller, reflecting on his double, said the connection with the fans made it a night to remember. PSG make light work of Atletico in heat-tested clash Over in the second fixture, PSG turned on the style in their 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring early, with Vitinha doubling the lead just before the break. Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in wrapped things up late in the second half. Marquinhos praised the team's focus despite the tough weather, while Antoine Griezmann acknowledged that Atletico struggled to keep up with PSG's tempo in the heat.
