Botafogo’s Club World Cup run unravelled in the cruellest way as fierce domestic rivals Palmeiras ended their campaign with a 1-0 extra-time victory on Saturday that ended the momentum building around the famous Rio de Janeiro club.

Days after stunning European champions Paris St Germain, Botafogo’s defensive shell cracked at precisely the wrong moment, leaving a team who had thrived as underdogs to taste bitter elimination at the hands of all-too-familiar foes.

A tense, compelling clash wrote another chapter in a captivating and intense rivalry that has gripped the South American nation in recent years.

Palmeiras overturned a three-goal deficit to beat Botafogo 4-3 in 2023 on the way to winning the title, and the Rio side responded by beating the Sao Paulo club twice en route to their Copa Libertadores and Brazilian league double the following year.

In Philadelphia on Saturday, Palmeiras fought back to end a five-match losing streak against their rivals and halted their remarkable journey through the tournament’s Group of Death, in which Atletico Madrid were knocked out.

While Palmeiras surged forward with intent throughout, Botafogo’s conservative approach backfired spectacularly. The team who had fearlessly taken down Champions League winners PSG suddenly looked bereft of ideas against opponents who know their every weakness.

“The idea was to play in a certain way at the beginning and then change to try to surprise Palmeiras,” Botafogo coach Renato Paiva said, his voice heavy with disappointment. “The match ended up being decided by an individual play.”

Paiva rued the chances they missed after Palmeiras, down to 10 men, sat back late in extra time, leaving their tournament journey to end in a whimper of domestic defeat.

For the thousands of Botafogo supporters who had dared to dream of further glory, the elimination came with a painful sting – not falling to European royalty but to neighbours from just down the Brazilian football block.

The bitter irony of conquering PSG only to stumble against Palmeiras will leave questions lingering over what might have been had Botafogo approached their countrymen with the same fearless spirit that toppled the European champions.

“The work Botafogo did in the U.S. should make anyone who is truly a Botafogo fan proud,” Paiva said. “In the dressing room, the players were silent and downcast, unable to accept the result.

“I will forbid them from looking at the ground. They have to lift their heads and look up. The world now knows Botafogo better, and that is largely due to the work they have done in this tournament.”

-Reuters

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When Paris St Germain meet Inter Miami in the Club World Cup last 16, it will mark a rare reunion of European football greats, all layered with old loyalties, recent regrets and the chance for Lionel Messi to settle a score.

Sunday’s game features a compelling contrast of eras – a PSG side powered by youth and energy fresh off their maiden Champions League title, and an Inter Miami team built around aging but iconic former Barcelona stars.

On the PSG touchline, Luis Enrique comes face to face with four players he once led at Barcelona – Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

They are all now reunited under Miami coach Javier Mascherano, another figure from Luis Enrique’s treble-winning era at Camp Nou.

“Luis Enrique is a phenomenon,” Alba said this week. “I’m excited to see him and will give him a hug, but when the ref blows the opening whistle, we’ll try to beat him.”

Suarez, now 38, reflected on his former manager’s impact:

“I already had a competitive DNA, but he injected even more into me,” he said.

In another layer of intrigue, Miami’s contingent of former Barcelona players were all part of 2017’s “Remontada” against PSG.

That was PSG’s darkest night, when Barca thrashed them 6-1 in Spain after losing 4-0 in Paris in their last-16 Champions League tie.

That was when Miami’s veterans were at their peak.

Now they rely on memory and rhythm, while PSG’s core has been reshaped by a rising generation: Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue and Vitinha have helped inject fresh energy into Luis Enrique’s system, culminating in a Champions League triumph just weeks ago.

But the Parisian side arrive in Atlanta after a 1–0 loss to Brazil’s Botafogo in the group stage raised questions about fatigue following a long European season.

Though PSG remain heavy favourites on paper, that defeat showed cracks in a squad that has played more high-stakes matches than most of their rivals.

“It will be an honour for me facing a great coach – one of the greatest I’ve had in my career,” said Mascherano of Luis Enrique.

Now in his first major club coaching role, Mascherano brings an emotional edge and tactical sharpness to a Miami side that, while physically limited by age, can still threaten, especially with Messi in form.

The Argentine great endured a turbulent two-year stint at PSG after leaving Barcelona in 2021. Though he won domestic silverware, Messi never found peace in Paris, and after his World Cup win in 2022, some fans turned on him.

“I didn’t enjoy myself at PSG,” Messi told reporters earlier this year. “It was a tough period.”

Mascherano believes that memory still drives him.

“When something’s stuck in his mind, Messi gives a little extra,” he said this week.

-Reuters

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In a nation where bitter football feuds typically simmer across generations, Botafogo and Palmeiras are poised to add another chapter to Brazil’s explosive new rivalry when they meet in the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Saturday.

The feud, which erupted in 2023, has seen dramatic twists both on and off the pitch.

Palmeiras, spearheaded by teenage sensation Endrick, overturned a three-goal deficit to defeat Botafogo 4-3, a result that triggered the Rio club’s collapse in the Brazilian championship race.

Palmeiras subsequently clinched the league title, sparking tensions that spilled into public exchanges between club officials.

Palmeiras president Leila Pereira called Botafogo’s owner John Textor “an idiot” and suggested he should be “banned from Brazilian football” after the American alleged referee bias in favor of Palmeiras.

The rivalry defies Brazil’s traditional city-based football feuds, with Palmeiras hailing from Sao Paulo and Botafogo from Rio de Janeiro.

Unlike the century-old feuds of Flamengo-Fluminense or Atletico-Cruzeiro, this cross-country animosity has evolved into a pressure-cooker dynamic, with each encounter carrying heightened stakes.

Botafogo exacted revenge in the 2024 Copa Libertadores, eliminating Palmeiras in the round of 16 en route to claiming the continental title.

When the two met again in the Brazilian league at Palmeiras’ home ground, Botafogo won again and eventually secured a domestic and international double.

Since that 2023 defeat, Botafogo have gone unbeaten against Palmeiras in five consecutive matches.

Saturday’s encounter at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field will test the limits of a rivalry that has transcended mere competition, with local commentators describing it as “collective catharsis” for fans and players alike.

“It means a lot. The last few games between Botafogo and Palmeiras have been high-level and intense,” defender Alex Telles told reporters on Friday.

“It’s a healthy rivalry for Brazilian football. It’s great to see two Brazilian teams facing each other in the Club World Cup and also to have all four teams advancing (to the last 16).”

On Saturday in Philadelphia, a new chapter will be written in this captivating and intense rivalry that has gripped the South American nation.

-Reuters

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