PSG conquers Seattle and continues its World Cup adventure

▲ The Rio squad (top image) fell to the Colchoneros 1-0. AP Photo

▲ Support for the Palestinians was evident in the stands at Lumen Field. AP Photo

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, p. a12

Paris Saint-Germain fans are known for their stance against the war in Gaza. Last May, during the Champions League final against Inter Milan, they displayed a giant banner reading "Stop the genocide in Gaza ." Despite the risk of sanctions, history repeated itself at the Club World Cup. In a Lumen Field stadium with 50,628 fans and several Palestinian flags in the stands, the European champions didn't allow a single shot on goal and beat the Seattle Sounders of the United States 2-0 to advance to the round of 16 of the tournament.

The Parisians' surprise defeat to South American champions Botafogo, who shared a Group B record on goal difference and advanced to the round of 16 as runners-up, is long gone. Vitinha's shot, which was apparently wide of the target, hit teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and deflected into the net in the 35th minute to open the scoring. Moroccan full-back Achraf Hakimi sealed the win at Seattle's home ground, leaving them at the bottom of the table with no points, shortly after the hour mark (66).

True to the philosophy of Spaniard Luis Enrique, PSG dominated possession. They finished the match with 73 percent possession and kept Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal safe from start to finish. The Italian national team goalkeeper finished his match without conceding a single shot from the Sounders forwards, who, despite their limitations, put up a fight. "In a World Cup, it's impossible to have an easy match; they play very well. It was definitely a difficult test ," Luis Enrique said after the match in an interview with DAZN. "We're trained to compete at the highest level ."

The French side were missing Ousmane Dembélé, perhaps their best player in their historic campaign, due to a muscle injury. Had it not been for a stroke of luck that led to Kvara's lucky goal, the attack could have been fruitless against an opponent who tried to show courage, despite the marked difference in talent.

Atleti , the first European eliminated

Botafogo advanced to the round of 16 of the Mundialito as second in Group B, despite losing 1-0 to Atlético de Madrid with a solitary goal from Antonie Griezmann (87).

The Colchoneros, who needed two more goals to stay in the league, thus became the first European opponent to be eliminated from the competition, finishing third in the group with six points. Argentine coach Diego Simeone awarded two penalties in the first half on Julián Álvarez, who set up Griezmann's goal, but also missed other clear chances.

With this elimination, Atleti extended a title drought that has lasted since the 2020-21 Spanish league season. The Rio fans turned up their heat on one of the sidelines of the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, while the Colchoneros' side was completely listless.

With information from AP and AFP

Alberto Aceves

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, p. a12

The problem hiding Mexico's lead in the first phase of the Gold Cup is goalscoring, a crucial detail that forwards like Raúl Jiménez and Santiago Giménez haven't had since previous seasons, says Luis Roberto Alves, Zague , the club's top scorer and a World Cup player in the United States in 1994. The former footballer of Brazilian descent reviews the list of scorers for Mexico against its three recent rivals – the Dominican Republic, Suriname and Costa Rica – and observes that a central defender, César Montes (three goals), is the one who leads the way. He remains ineffective, there are many deficiencies in creating plays in attack .

Unlike the previous matches, the Mexican national team opted out of playing with a pair of forwards against Costa Rica. In the first match, we lost 65 balls, against Suriname, 44; I don't have the figures, but I'm sure it was considerably less in the latter , explained national team coach Javier Aguirre, referring to Jiménez's selection as the sole striker. The 0-0 draw forced the entry of the AC Milan striker, who came close to giving the Tricolor the win with a spectacular scissor kick that Guatemalan referee Mario Escobar ruled out for offside, with the help of his assistant referees at the VAR.

Behind Montes' goals, the only player with attacking qualities who has scored for Mexico in the Gold Cup is Jiménez. The other goal was scored by Edson Álvarez, also more defensively charged. " Vasco is moving his pieces around to find his ideal starting XI; it seems that defense is where he has the best idea of ​​how and with whom to play," Zague analyzes. There's no functioning, no fluidity to this team's football. They win more because of their attitude, because they fight harder than their opponents, not because they have the level to compete with anyone in the world, as some claim .

In the quarter-finals, Aguirre and his team will face Saudi Arabia on Saturday, a guest opponent in the current edition of the tournament and whose most recent precedent with the tricolor representative goes back to Qatar 2022, where they prevented their passage to the round of 16 and sentenced their elimination in the group stage for the first time since Argentina 1978. We often think that in these kinds of matches we have to win no matter what, but we have to be smart, the rivals also play , responds Santiago Giménez, questioned about the low effectiveness he has shown in international matches.

In addition to the Arabs and Mexicans, CONCACAF confirmed Costa Rica and the United States as the other teams that secured their places in the next round.

▲ Argentine Lionel Messi, who turns 39 this Tuesday, created several offensive opportunities, but could not score, in the tie between Inter Miami and Palmeiras of Brazil, in a Group A match. Photo AFP

From the Editorial Staff

La Jornada Newspaper, Tuesday, June 24, 2025, p. a34

Inter Miami squandered a two-goal lead and had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras, who consolidated their lead in Group A of the Club World Cup.

The team led by Argentine Lionel Messi dominated much of the match at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, but was unable to hold onto its advantage against a fierce opponent who battled until the final minute. Both teams advanced to the round of 16.

From the start of the game, Inter came out pressing in all areas of the pitch; however, Palmeiras left nothing to chance and stood firm in defense.

Tadeo Allende scored Miami's 1-0 lead. The Argentine striker burst from midfield, took on a defender, and faced and outwitted goalkeeper Weverton Pereira to send the ball into the net.

In the 64th minute, Uruguayan Luis Suárez controlled a good pass, took aim, and fired a shot to increase Inter's lead to 2-0.

Just when it looked like Miami would take the win, Paulinho appeared, reducing the deficit to 2-1. In the 87th minute, Mauricio Magalhães equalized with a shot that goalkeeper Óscar Ustari couldn't keep out.

Messi, who turns 39 today, had numerous opportunities but couldn't score despite the crowd chanting his name throughout the match.

The Argentine and the Garzas will face Paris Saint-Germain next Sunday in Atlanta. There will be a Sao Paulo-Rio de Janeiro match on Saturday, with Palmeiras facing Botafogo, the reigning Copa Libertadores champion.

Al Ahly surprises Porto and both are eliminated

Martín Anselmi's Porto and Al Ahly enjoyed a goal-scoring display in their Club World Cup group stage match, drawing 4-4. However, both teams were eliminated.

At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the African team stunned the favorites and took the lead three times. However, the Portuguese managed to recover possession and salvage the tie.