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Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
PSG stunned by Botafogo in Club World Cup upset
PASADENA – Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique believes that his team are more than capable of turning their fortunes around when things do not go their way. The Uefa Champions League winners suffered a shock 1-0 Club World Cup defeat against Brazilian side Botafogo on June 19 in a hardfought battle between the reigning champions of Europe and South America. A first-half goal from Brazilian international Igor Jesus proved the difference as Botafogo all but sealed a place in the knockout rounds in front of a 53,699 crowd at the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Enrique said his team had expected a tough battle. 'We knew it was going to be a very difficult match – they defended very well,' the Spaniard said. 'This Club World Cup is very intense and difficult, and all the teams are highly motivated, especially when they're playing against us.' He insisted, however, that PSG still had plenty of time to resurrect their campaign. 'If there's a team that can turn it around, it's our team,' he added. 'We've got to analyse this and there's things we can improve. But I think our performance was good.' French champions PSG are widely regarded as one of the favourites for Fifa's new expanded 32-team tournament after a dazzling season which culminated with a scintillating 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final in May. But their hopes of securing a victory which would have seen them become the first side to reach the last 16 were stymied by a resilient performance from their opponents from Rio de Janeiro. 'A lot of people wondered, but we showed how strong Botafogo is,' goalscorer Jesus said after the win. 'It was a difficult game, and we had to defend well, and we did our job and scored a goal. 'We're really happy – we knew how important this game was. One team was the champion of the Champions League, the other team was the champion of South America,' added the player, who had been strongly linked with a move to English Premier League side Nottingham Forest earlier in 2025 before opting to stay with the Brazilians to play in the Club World Cup. 'I think I made the right choice to stay in Botafogo,' he quipped. PSG picked up where they had left off in Sunday's 4-0 Group B rout of Atletico Madrid, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia testing Botafogo goalkeeper John with an early curling effort after just two minutes. But that early effort was as close as PSG came to scoring in a scrappy first half punctuated by a series of niggling fouls that prevented the European champions from settling into their passing game. Botafogo's midfield trio of Marlon Freitas, Gregore and Allan worked tirelessly to close down Vitinha, denying the skilful PSG playmaker time and space to launch attacks despite dominating possession. Instead it was Botafogo who took the lead with a goal against the run of play on 36 minutes. Jefferson Savarino's perfectly weighted through ball split the PSG defence and sent Jesus racing through on goal. The Botafogo striker did brilliantly to wrongfoot the covering Willian Pacho before sweeping a shot that took a slight deflection past PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma on its way into the net. PSG continued to dominate possession through the second half, and spent long periods camped in the final third. But Botafogo's defence held firm and the result leaves the Brazilians firmly on course for the last 16, with a final group game against Atletico Madrid to come in Pasadena on Monday. Botafogo coach Renato Paiva said his team had beaten PSG at their own game. 'Being a great team, playing together, all the guys defending, all the guys attacking, and that's the big secret of this PSG team, that's why they compete and win,' he said. 'They are a fantastic team. I said this, PSG are a lesson to everybody nowadays in football. And I told my guys, just be a team, enjoy playing together, attack together, defend together, and enjoy. And they did they did it. Fantastic.' AFP, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Real Madrid the Club World Cup favourites: Monterrey's Ramos
VETERAN Monterrey defender Sergio Ramos said Monday his former team Real Madrid must be considered favourites to win the Club World Cup. Paris Saint-Germain recently won the UEFA Champions League by thrashing Inter Milan in the final, with Liga MX side Monterrey set to face the Italians in their opener on Tuesday at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. However Ramos, now 39, believes his former club, Spanish giants Madrid, are the real team to beat. 'Real Madrid are always favourites in the big competitions,' Ramos told reporters ahead of the Group E clash against Inter. 'Real Madrid are the best in the world, for the level the club and players have, for the mentality that's been sewn in there for so many years.' Madrid have a new coach in Xabi Alonso as well as recent arrivals Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen. 'Xabi's arrival will be interesting, he won it all as a player and he knows how the club works,' said Ramos. 'That could help him a lot in this new era.' Ramos said Madrid's failure to win a major trophy this season was not down to last summer's marquee signing Kylian Mbappe, whom he played with at PSG. 'In the next five or 10 years, I'd wager that Kylian will take four or five Ballon d'Or awards home,' said Ramos. The former Real Madrid captain departed in 2021 and said he would prefer not to face his former side in the United States. 'Facing off against your old team-mates is always nice but if we won't meet that would be a lot better -- and both them and us can avoid that discomfort,' he added. Madrid open their campaign in Miami on Wednesday against Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal.
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Inter Milan ready to turn page in Club World Cup opener: Cristian Chivu
PASADENA – Inter Milan's new coach Cristian Chivu said on June 16 the Italian giants are ready to put recent history behind them, as they prepare for their Club World Cup opener against Mexican side Monterrey. Inter kick off their Group E campaign at the Pasadena Rose Bowl on June 17 (June 18, Singapore time), just over two weeks after being thrashed 5-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the heaviest Uefa Champions League final defeat in history. That mauling in Munich came hard on the heels of domestic heartbreak, with the Italians finishing one point behind eventual champions Napoli after a tense title race that went down to the wire. Chivu, who was last week named as the successor to departing Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, said the Club World Cup represented a chance to turn the page. 'You mustn't think about the past,' he told a press conference. 'We cannot do anything about the past. You can't change the past. So this is the end of the 2024-2025 season and it is a competition that you need to honour.' He added: 'A team like Inter comes here, and they need to be the best version of themselves that they can be. We mustn't try to find excuses or alibis for our physical condition or our mental condition. 'We are ready. We've worked very hard these past few days. We've been trying to create a united squad and a mental and physical serenity that will allow us to have a good performance.' Inter, who also face Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds and Argentina's River Plate in Group E, will be lining up against a Monterrey side led by former Real Madrid stalwart Sergio Ramos, who joined the club earlier in 2025. 'We have a lot of respect for Inter,' Ramos said. 'Obviously they have many more names, they're much bigger favourites than us – but it's also a great opportunity. 'We're going to go toe-to-toe against every opponent and give it our all.' The Spaniard also said that his former Real team must be considered favourites to win the Club World Cup. PSG may have won the Champions League, but Ramos, now 39 and who also played for PSG, believes his former club Real are the real team to beat. 'Real Madrid are always favourites in the big competitions,' he said. 'Real Madrid are the best in the world, for the level the club and players have, for the mentality that's been sewn in there for so many years.' AFP, REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Business Times
After conquering Europe, PSG now have sights set on Club World Cup glory
[LOS ANGELES] Freshly crowned kings of Europe, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) arrived this week in the United States for the Club World Cup and are treating Fifa's lucrative new competition not as a nuisance at the end of an exhausting season but as a serious objective. 'I think it is an incredible competition,' PSG coach Luis Enrique said of the Club World Cup in the immediate aftermath of his team's Uefa Champions League triumph in Munich two weeks ago. 'Our aim is to be competitive and try to win a fifth trophy of the season.' The Qatar-backed French giants could be forgiven for wanting some time to bask in the glory of their 5-0 victory over Inter Milan in Munich which allowed them to finally win the Champions League for the first time in their history. There had been numerous agonising failures in Europe's elite club competition, as well as billions of euros spent on transfer fees on stars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, prior to captain Marquinhos raising the trophy aloft. 'We have made history for the club, for the city and for the whole country,' defender Lucas Hernandez told sports daily L'Equipe after the PSG squad paraded their trophy down the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, attended a reception with President Emmanuel Macron and celebrated with almost 50,000 fans at their Parc des Princes stadium. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up PSG have played 58 matches since last August and also swept all the available domestic trophies in France this season, as has become the norm in recent years. No time to stop But there is simply no time to stop and reflect. Many of their players, including Champions League final hero Desire Doue, spent last week on international duty before returning to their club and departing for Los Angeles, where they will begin their Club World Cup adventure this weekend. 'The tournament itself is a really attractive prospect,' Luis Enrique told Fifa. 'We have to strike the balance between managing the physical and mental fatigue we're experiencing now at the end of a long season and harnessing the motivation that comes with being involved in the competition,' he said. PSG's opening game will be against another European heavyweight as they take on Antoine Griezmann's Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles, on Sunday. They will then also face South American champions Botafogo, of Brazil, before moving north to take on Seattle Sounders in their remaining Group B matches. Expected to qualify for the knockout phase without too many issues, PSG could end up playing a total of seven matches if they make it all the way to the final in New York on Jul 13 – just a month before their scheduled first game of next season in the Uefa Supercup against Tottenham Hotspur. The strain of such a long campaign is telling, with Ousmane Dembele – their top scorer this season with 33 goals – struggling with an injury picked up playing for France last week. They did not manage to add any new players to their squad during the brief transfer window that opened at the start of this month ahead of the tournament – reported interest in Bournemouth's Ukrainian defender Illia Zabarnyi did not turn into anything concrete. But the rewards for success in the Club World Cup are enticing and should be enough to keep Luis Enrique's squad focused on their objective, with up to a stunning US$125 million in prize money on offer for the best performing European team if they manage to go all the way. AFP
The Sun
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Oppo elevates the celebration of football with tech, culture, and legends
As the Uefa Champions League season came to a spectacular close at Munich Football Arena, where the excitement on the pitch was matched by a vibrant celebration of football culture, youth development, and cutting-edge fan experiences hosted around the final. As part of the festivities, Oppo, the official smartphone product partner of the Champions League, hosted a series of events that brought fans closer to the game through interactive technology, cultural exhibitions, and appearances from football legends. The Champions Village outside the stadium offered supporters a unique blend of Champions League history and immersive digital experiences, including opportunities for fans to engage with lifelike virtual avatars and capture personalized moments that celebrated their love for the sport. Football icons were front and center throughout the weekend. Inter Milan's Marco Materazzi made a surprise appearance to meet fans, while Brazilian greats Kaka and Cafu led charity training clinics for young footballers from Brazil, offering once-in-a-lifetime coaching and inspiration. The program also featured an exclusive 5 vs 5 match that included former England international Micah Richards, showcasing rising talent and celebrating the next generation of footballers. In a standout cultural highlight, a friendly game of Cuju – an ancient Chinese sport and one of football's early ancestors – was played between Uefa legends and young Chinese women players, symbolizing football's timeless appeal and its ability to connect across generations and geographies. With Oppo hosting the event activations, the Champions League final weekend became more than just a title decider – it evolved into a global celebration of football's spirit, its heroes, and its future.
