Once Brazilian football royalty, Botafogo had languished for decades as a debt-ridden sleeping giant before they toppled Paris St Germain at the Club World Cup to cap a resurrection tale three years in the making.

When American entrepreneur John Textor acquired the club in 2022, fresh from their promotion back to Brazil’s first division, he took on a training ground so decrepit that then-coach Luis Castro dismissed it as “good for parking cars,” alongside crushing liabilities exceeding one billion reais ($181.39 million)

Botafogo were a storied but shattered institution. The club that once nurtured Brazilian greats – Garrincha, Zagallo, Jairzinho and Nilton Santos, architects of three World Cup triumphs – was drowning in debt, having endured the humiliation of relegation three times in just over a decade.

On Thursday, they outplayed European champions Paris St Germain to win 1-0 in the Club World Cup’s most eye-catching upset, propelling themselves to the top of the tournament’s “group of death” and on the verge of the knockout stage.

Their squad, assembled through shrewd bargain-hunting in football’s forgotten corners, now faces Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles on Monday, sitting comfortably, knowing even a two-goal defeat would still secure their passage to the round of 16

The victory over PSG vindicated Textor’s vision, outlined in a Reuters interview three years prior, of “beating the system” through astute scouting in under-explored talent pools.

The architects of Thursday’s victory exemplified this approach. Match-winner Igor Jesus arrived as a free agent after three anonymous years in the UAE and was transformed into a Brazil international.

Argentine defender Alexander Barboza, who neutralised PSG’s vaunted attack, was plucked from Paraguay’s Club Libertad for nothing.

Captain Marlon Freitas came from second-division Atletico Goianiense, while experienced European campaigners Alex Telles and Allan were revitalised after spells in Middle Eastern leagues.

Gregore, Jefferson Savarino, John and Cuiabano were all signed for under two million euros ($2.30 million) each.

“The goal is to be sustainably competitive every year,” Botafogo CEO Thairo Arruda told Reuters. “With a top six payroll, we produce like a top three.”

The transformation extends far beyond the pitch. Revenues have soared from 140 million reais in 2022 to projected earnings exceeding 1.1 billion by 2025, while liabilities have been slashed by 40%. Textor’s Eagle Football empire also encompasses stakes in Ligue 1’s Olympique Lyonnais and Premier League Crystal Palace.

Botafogo’s renaissance – crowned by last year’s domestic and continental double – has breathed new life into a club motto once heavy with self-pity: “There are things that only happen to Botafogo.” After outclassing Europe’s elite, those words now carry an altogether sweeter resonance.

-Reuters

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Ilkay Gundogan scored two goals as Manchester City comfortably dispatched Emirati club Al-Ain 6-0 on Sunday to ease into the knockout stage of the Club World Cup from Group G along with Juventus.

The German midfielder found the net in the ninth and 73rd minutes, while Argentine teenager Claudio Etcheverri also fired home a free kick and Erling Haaland a penalty before the break.

Substitutes Oscar Bobb and new signing Rayan Cherki sealed the emphatic victory in the last 10 minutes to draw City level on goal difference with Juventus, who beat Wydad Casablanca 4-1 earlier on Sunday.

City and Juventus meet in their final group match in Orlando on Thursday to decide which of them progresses to the round of 16 as group winners.

“A really good performance,” said Gundogan. “I think we had our moments in the first half, and then also the second part of the second half.

“I think the result speaks for itself, and in the end, fully deserved.”

City manager Pep Guardiola illustrated the depth of his squad by making 11 changes, and Gundogan made the most of his start by opening the scoring with a chipped cross that floated over the head of Al-Ain keeper Khalid Eisa and into the net.

Al-Ain were showing more ambition than they had in their 5-0 loss to Juventus and winger Nassim Chadli had a chance to equalise in the 15th minute but City keeper Stefan Ortega Moreno managed to push it wide

Etcheverri, making his first start for City, doubled the lead in the 27th minute when he bent a free kick around a poorly-placed defensive wall and past the hapless Eisa.

Haaland almost immediately created a chance for himself by dispossessing the final defender but he took the ball too wide to get around Eisa and his shot went across the goal.

The big Norwegian went through on goal again in the 41st minute before again angling his shot wide of the far post, but made no mistake from the spot with his third chance to score in first-half stoppage time.

Egyptian Ramy Rabia wrestled Manuel Akanji to the ground from a corner, and after VAR informed the referee of the offence, Haaland sent Eisa to the left and banged the ball into the right-hand corner for his 32nd goal of the season.

City kept up the pressure in the second half, and forward Matheus Nunes turned and volleyed the ball past the post just after the hour mark before Eisa finally showed his quality by twice denying Haaland from close range.

Chadli had another chance in the 69th minute but fired his shot high over the bar, and Gundogan soon ended any hopes of a comeback with his second goal.

Bernardo Silva drifted across the edge of the box before drilling a pass towards the penalty spot, and Gundogan got a great first touch to take him past the defence before lifting the ball over Eisa.

Bobb cut inside the box onto his left foot to beat Eisa at his near post eight minutes from time before his fellow winger Cherki sealed the rout with a clinical finish from the edge of the box.

-Reuters

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Mamelodi Sundowns are bracing for their toughest test yet at the FIFA Club World Cup as they prepare to face German powerhouse Borussia Dortmund on Saturday at the TQL Stadium.

The South African champions, who finished as runners-up in the CAF Champions League earlier this month, made a strong start to their campaign with a 1-0 win over South Korea’s Ulsan HD. The result placed them atop Group F, but head coach Miguel Cardoso knows a different challenge awaits against the Bundesliga giants.

“Upsets can happen when the mental conviction of the team is strong and their emotional connection is so strong that magic can happen,” Cardoso said at a pre-match press conference on Friday. “That’s what I will try to create — an ambiance of ambition, conviction, determination, and the right emotion to play such a game and produce a good result.”

Despite their strong start, Cardoso admits Sundowns are likely to be on the defensive against Dortmund, a side known for their high pressing and aggressive transitions.

“We’re going to play against a team that is very aggressive. It’s a team that scores 40% of their goals from counter pressings,” the Portuguese tactician noted.

This scenario will be unfamiliar territory for Sundowns, who typically control games through dominant possession both in South Africa’s domestic league and on the continental stage.

“We won’t be used to not having the ball much, and obviously that will require us to be resilient and keep organised — even when you are just waiting for the moment to get the ball again,” Cardoso added.

Sundowns are currently the only African side to register a win in this year’s tournament, and the coach says the team is drawing strength from that accomplishment.

“We are very proud of that. What has happened now is that we have opened up a chance for ourselves and turned dreams into objectives,” he said. “But we know what we have ahead and it won’t be easy.”

After facing Dortmund, Sundowns will wrap up their group stage campaign against Brazilian giants Fluminense next Wednesday.

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