Tuesday's briefing: PSG avoid early Club World Cup exit but Atletico Madrid out

North Wales Chronicle

4 hours ago

But Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid are packing their bags after a 1-0 win over Botafogo did not prove enough to earn them a place in the last 16.
Meanwhile, Brentford appear close to appointing their set-piece coach Keith Andrews as successor to Thomas Frank.
M.V.P 👏🏆#FIFACWC pic.twitter.com/xRuP56CBCB
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) June 23, 2025
Paris St Germain bounced back from their shock loss to Botafogo to beat Seattle Sounders 2-0 and reach the last 16 of the Club World Cup as Group B winners.
Goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi proved enough for the European champions, who had gone into the game on the brink of a shock early exit from the tournament.
Seattle, hosting the game at their own Lumen Stadium, missed a chance to take an early lead through Jesus Ferreira and also pressed late on, but otherwise PSG cruised home.
PSG took the lead in the 35th minute when the ball broke to the edge of the box from a corner and Vitinha's shot took a heavy deflection off Kvaratskhelia on its way into the bottom corner.
And they sealed their win in the 66th minute moments after Seattle had come close to an equaliser, a swift counter-attack ending in Bradley Barcola squaring the ball for Hakimi to sweep home his side's second.
Fulltime in Pasadena. pic.twitter.com/h7tKe4Loch
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) June 23, 2025
Atletico Madrid failed to do enough to progress in the Club World Cup despite claiming a late 1-0 win over Botafogo in Pasadena.
Diego Simeone's side had bounced back from a 4-0 thrashing by Paris St Germain in their first Group B game to beat Seattle Sounders – but were still left needing to defeat the Brazilian champions by at least three goals to qualify for the last 16.
Instead it was Botafogo who looked more likely to break the deadlock in the early stages with Atletico keeper Jan Oblak saving well to deny Jefferson Savarino and Igor Jesus.
Substitute Antoine Griezmann found the net in the 87th minute when he swept home Julian Alvarez's low cross from the left but it was not enough and Botafogo will face the Group A runners-up at the next stage.
Keith Andrews has emerged as the leading candidate to take over as Brentford's new head coach, the PA news agency understands.
The Bees are continuing their recruitment process to find Thomas Frank's replacement after he left to take over at Premier League rivals Tottenham, and no definitive timescale has been set.
Irishman Andrews, 44, joined Brentford last summer and while largely credited with the club's set-piece success, his role at the Gtech Community Stadium is all-encompassing.
The former midfielder has built up a strong reputation following coaching roles with Sheffield United, MK Dons and the Republic of Ireland, where he was assistant manager to Stephen Kenny.
Following Frank's departure, Brentford are expected to announce a restructure of the coaching set-up ahead of the new Premier League season, which begins at Nottingham Forest on August 16.
𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 in the Orlando sun ☀️😎#FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld | 🔜 #SLBFCB pic.twitter.com/X86aTZN7Fi
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) June 23, 2025
An intriguing finish is in store in Group C at the Club World Cup, where Benfica can guarantee progression to the next stage with victory over already-qualified Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese side rebounded from an opening draw with Boca Juniors by hammering hapless Auckland City 6-0 and yet still stand on the brink of elimination.
Defeat against the German giants is likely to let in Boca, who are highly likely to find the net multiple times against the outclassed New Zealanders, leaving the destiny of Group C on a knife-edge.