Flamengo overturned a first-half deficit to defeat Chelsea 3-1 in their Club World Cup Group D clash on Friday, with second-half goals from Bruno Henrique, Danilo, and Wallace Yan securing the Brazilian side’s second consecutive win in the tournament.

Pedro Neto’s early strike had put Chelsea ahead, but the Premier League side squandered several opportunities to extend their lead, allowing Flamengo to stage a stirring comeback.

The Brazilians scored two goals in quick succession through Henrique and Danilo, in the 62nd and 65th minutes, which was followed by Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson being shown a straight red for a nasty studs up challenge three minutes later.

Flamengo wrapped up the victory with Yan’s strike in the 83rd minute.

The result leaves Flamengo on top of Group D with six points from two matches, while Chelsea remain second with three. Esperance de Tunis and Los Angeles FC have yet to register a point, with both sides having a game in hand.

-Reuters

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Brazilian side Botafogo pulled off a major upset on Thursday night, defeating European champions Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in a tense Group B clash at the Club World Cup, held at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Great thanks to Igor Jesus, the goal scorer.

Despite dominating possession and launching relentless attacks, PSG were unable to break through Botafogo’s disciplined defence.

The decisive moment came in the 36th minute, when Jefferson Savarino intercepted a ball in midfield and threaded a clever pass to Igor Jesus.

The striker darted past two defenders and fired a shot that deflected off PSG’s Willian Pacho, wrong-footing goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and nestling into the net.

Jesus leapt over the barrier to celebrate with a jubilant cluster of Botafogo fans, marking a high point in the club’s debut meeting with the French giants.

PSG, who had netted 19 goals in their last five matches, thought they had found an equalizer in the 79th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside. The result marked the first time the Parisians have failed to score in a match since March, when they lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Botafogo coach Renato Paiva praised his players for executing a unified game plan.
“We beat PSG at their own game—playing together, attacking together, defending together,” said Paiva. “They are a fantastic team, and I told my players to simply enjoy being a team. They did exactly that. Fantastic performance.”

PSG were once again without winger Ousmane Dembélé, who is recovering from an injury sustained while playing for France in the UEFA Nations League.

The result gives Botafogo a firm grip on a potential knockout stage spot, having now claimed two wins in two—following their 2-1 victory over MLS side Seattle Sounders in their tournament opener.

PSG, who started their campaign with a dominant 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid, will now look to bounce back when they face the Sounders on Monday. Botafogo will also return to action at the Rose Bowl the same day, facing Atletico Madrid.

With Brazil’s four representatives still unbeaten in the 32-team tournament, coach Paiva highlighted the resurgence of South American football.
“It’s a reflection of the quality of Brazilian players and the work being done back home—especially by the coaches,” he said. “Brazil will always be Brazil in world football.”

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Palmeiras tightened their grip on Group A at the FIFA Club World Cup with a clinical 2-0 victory over Egypt’s Al Ahly, capitalising on second-half errors in a contest disrupted by dramatic weather, VAR intervention, and a near hour-long lightning delay.

The Brazilian giants, coached by the experienced Abel Ferreira, now sit atop the group with four points and need only a draw against Inter Miami in their final match to secure a quarter-final spot. Al Ahly, by contrast, must defeat Porto on Tuesday and hope other results go their way to stay alive in the competition.

The match opened with promise for the Egyptians, who began brightly under a rumbling New Jersey sky. Trezeguet and Attiyat Allah whipped in dangerous crosses early on, while defender Yasser Ibrahim denied teenage sensation Estêvão with a crucial block after the Chelsea-bound winger weaved through the defence.

Palmeiras were largely conservative in the first half, absorbing pressure and launching quick counterattacks. Estêvão came close to scoring with a dazzling solo run, narrowly missing the target.

The first flashpoint arrived ten minutes before the break when Raphael Veiga, celebrating his birthday, was shown a straight red card by English referee Anthony Taylor for a high tackle on Zizo. However, a VAR review downgraded the punishment to a yellow, much to Al Ahly’s frustration.

Ferreira reshuffled his pack at the interval, bringing on José “Flaco” López and Mauricio—and the changes paid off almost immediately. Four minutes into the second half, a teasing free-kick from Aníbal Moreno was inadvertently glanced into his own net by Al Ahly striker Wissam Abou Ali, who had tracked back to defend.

The North African side barely had time to recover before they conceded again. A swift Palmeiras counterattack saw left-back Joaquín Piquerez break free and square for López, who made no mistake with a cool finish into the far corner to double the lead in the 59th minute.

Moments later, lightning strikes in the area forced officials to suspend the match for 55 minutes, offering Al Ahly an unexpected reprieve.

Manager Jose Riveiro introduced Ashraf Bencharki, Ahmed Ramadan and Afsha in a desperate bid to claw back into the game. Bencharki came closest to scoring, testing Weverton with a stinging drive and later heading wide when unmarked.

Palmeiras, chasing a ninth clean sheet in 12 matches, held firm with commanding displays from centre-backs Gustavo Gómez and Murilo. El Shenawy, Al Ahly’s captain, prevented a heavier defeat with a superb save from Moreno’s free-kick, while Paulinho squandered a late chance to make it 3-0.

With Palmeiras now two points ahead of both Porto and Inter Miami—who face off later tonight—the Brazilian champions are in pole position. Meanwhile, Al Ahly remain rooted at the bottom with just one point and no goals scored from two matches on American soil.

For the thousands of African fans who lit up Times Square in red earlier this week, the path is clear but steep: beat Porto and hope Palmeiras complete the job against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.

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