Paris St-Germain Clinches Victory Against Atletico Madrid in Club World Cup Debut

Paris St-Germain, fresh off their triumph as European champions, secured a commanding victory against Atletico Madrid in their inaugural Fifa Club World Cup match. The French team took control early at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, despite the sweltering heat, maintaining a staggering 82.6% possession within the first quarter-hour. Their dominance paid off when Fabian Ruiz unleashed a shot from the edge of the box, nestling the ball into the bottom corner.

Goncalo Ramos, Paris St-Germain’s Portuguese forward, missed on three occasions, but soon after, Vitinha expertly weaved through Atletico’s defense just before the break and calmly placed the ball past Jan Oblak, cementing their lead. Although Oblak displayed his prowess by deflecting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s curling attempt onto the crossbar shortly after halftime, the team had a goal nullified due to a foul by Koke on Desire Doue during the play.

Atletico faced further challenges as they were reduced to ten players in an unusual scenario in the 78th minute. Clement Lenglet received his marching orders with a second yellow card for dissent after referee Istvan Kovacs did not penalize interference on Oblak while he was trying to release the ball. With eight minutes remaining, Alexander Sorloth, a substitute, missed a golden chance to score as he failed to convert a low cross into an empty net.

Adding to the excitement, Senny Mayulu, who made a significant impact in the previous month’s Champions League final, scored in the 87th minute with a precise shot into the bottom corner. The drama continued into injury time when PSG’s Ibrahim Mbaye hit the post, before Atleti defender Robin le Normand was penalized for handball by the VAR, allowing Lee Kang-in to comfortably convert the penalty, clinching the fourth goal for his team.