Paris Saint-Germain began their first-ever campaign of the FIFA Club World Cup match against Atletico Madrid full of energy. They kept the ball for most of the time and pushed Atletico hard, making it tough for them to move forward. PSG players looked unstoppable as they registered 4-0 to clinch the win.
Early dominance
PSG wasted no time in establishing their command, they took 82.6% possession in the first 15 minutes. The breakthrough came when Fabian Ruiz converted a goal with his powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area, finding the bottom corner to give PSG a lead.
Vitinha’s brilliant goal
As the first half progressed, PSG continued to dominate. Just before the break, midfielder Vitinha glided through Atletico’s defense with ease, and strengthened his team’s by scoring a goal by outsmarting the goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Oblak’s heroics
The second half saw Atletico fight to stay in the contest powered by Oblak’s remarkable goalkeeping skills. Early in the half, he produced a save, and an effort from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia onto the crossbar went in vain. However, Atletico’s hopes were dented when a goal by Julian Alvarez was disallowed due to a foul by Koke on Desire Doue during the build-up.
Red Card for Atletico
The match took a dramatic turn in the 78th minute when Atletico were reduced to 10 men. Defender Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card for dissent after protesting referee Istvan Kovacs’ failure to penalize an obstruction on Oblak.
Missed chances and late goals
Atletico had a golden opportunity to register their first goal but failed to do so when substitute Alexander Sorloth somehow missed an open goal from close range in the 82nd minute.
PSG’s substitute Senny Mayulu, on the other hand, fired into the bottom corner in the 87th minute to make the scoreline 3-0.
Stoppage-time controversy
In the added time, PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye struck the post, missing a fourth goal. Moments later, Atletico’s Robin le Normand was penalized for handball following a VAR review, allowing Lee Kang-in to convert the resulting penalty and seal a one-sided 4-0 victory for PSG.
Vintinha: Man of the match
“A very good performance. We did a very good game, it is difficult with this temperature. We did well against a tough team, we controlled all of the game. We are happy with the result,” Vitinha expressed
“The toughest thing to do in football is to maintain the level and that is what I try to do,” he added.
Paris Saint Germain – Upcoming matches
PSG have their next match against Club Botafogo on June 20, followed by their third FIFA Club World Cup game against Seattle Sounders on June 24.
Atletico Madrid – Upcoming matches
Atletico Madrid are scheduled to play their next match against Seattle Sounders on June 20, followed by a match against Botafogo Juniors on June 24.
