Izuchukwu OkosiEuropean champions Paris St-Germain beat MLS side Seattle Sounders 2-0 to confirm their place in the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stages.
By the result, the Ligue 1 champions have therefore won Group B and will play the runners-up of Group A – Palmeiras or Inter Miami who are billed to face-off in the early hours of Tuesday morning (Nigerian time).
Join our WhatsApp ChannelVitinha’s 20-yard first-time drive was heading off target before hitting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the back before finding it’s way inside the net.
The Paris billionaires added a second on the counter with Morocco international Achraf Hakimi guiding the ball home from Bradley Barcola’s pass.
PSG deserved their victory in Seattle with Desire Doue forcing three stops from Sounders keeper Stefan Frei.
The hosts’ best chance came when Gianluigi Donnarumma gave the ball straight to Jesus Ferreira, whose instinctive shot went over from a tight angle.
Meanwhile Botafogo also booked their place in the last 16 of the Club World Cup as they faced La Liga giants Atletico Madrid despite claiming a 1-0 win in the end.
The game was nearing its completion before the late goal through Antoine Griezmann.
Griezmann was awarded the ‘Superior Man of the Match’ for his contributions to the game.
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Atletico required to win by a margin of at least three goals against the South Americans to qualify but they struggled to break down a resolute Brazilian team for much of the game.
After a first half of limited scoring opportunities, Atletico manager Diego Simeone introduced veteran striker Antoine Griezmann for the second half as they desperately searched spark some magic into his team’s attack.
The Frenchman who recently renewed his club contract almost had an immediate impact when he got in down the left but he fired against the post from a tight angle.
Alexander Sorloth, who had the highest xG of any player in the tournament going into the game, headed a glorious chance wide from six yards.
Atletico finally found the net when Griezmann fired home from inside the area in the dying minutes, but it was too little too late.
Botafogo will play the winners of Group A in the last 16 stage, while Simeone’s side are out.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
