The winners of the first day of the Club World Cup met again this Thursday night at Rose Bawl Stadium in Pasadena. Having crushed Atlético Madrid (4-0), Paris Saint-Germain faced Brazilian club Botafogo , who had defeated the Seattle Sounders (2-1). A duel where the European Champions had to assume their status as favorites against John Textor's team. Luis Enrique thus organized Paris Saint-Germain in his classic 4-3-3 formation with three changes from the previous match. In defense, Lucas Hernandez and Lucas Beraldo were lined up alongside Achraf Hakimi and Willian Pacho. For their part, Fogão reinforced their midfield with former Napoli player Allan, who was placed alongside Gregore de Silva and Marlon Freitas.
And they had to be on the ball, as Paris Saint-Germain quickly set the pace. Launched down the left wing, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia quickly distinguished himself with a powerful curling shot, but John Victor repelled it (2'). Just behind, the Georgian was about to start a new act, but his shot went just wide of the frame (6'). Paris's main threat, the former Napoli player, gave full-back Vitinho a nightmare and multiplied his initiatives and came close to winning a penalty (13'). Nevertheless, Paris Saint-Germain lacked precision in the final move and was unable to convert their dominance.
PSG never found the solution
Unfortunately, this kind of situation is rarely without consequences, and Botafogo would take advantage of it. Regaining their senses, the Brazilian club would take advantage of a counterattack where Jefferson Savarino put Igor Jesus into orbit. The striker would then see his shot deflected by Willian Pacho, surprising Gianluigi Donnarumma (1-0, 36th). Paris Saint-Germain would then go forward again, but would come up short against Botafogo's solid defense. After the break, the Parisians tried to react, notably with this dangerous deflection from Gonçalo Ramos (52nd). However, that was almost all for the club from the French capital, who saw Jefferson Savarino come close to doubling the lead with a header (53rd).
Luis Enrique then relied on a quadruple substitution with Fabian Ruiz, Bradley Barcola, Nuno Mendes, and Joao Neves, but it didn't change anything. The Parisian players continued to be sterile in the final move despite good intentions. Bradley Barcola thought he'd equalized, but his goal was disallowed for Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being offside (80th minute). The Georgian also had a good chance from a free kick, but his shot went over John Victor's goal (90th +2). Ultimately, Paris Saint-Germain lost 1-0 and find themselves second in this group. Botafogo are the new leaders and have qualified for the round of 16. For the Parisians, they will have to win against Seattle this Monday.
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