Paris St Germain Shine in Scorching Club World Cup Debut

Paris St Germain began their first ever Fifa Club World Cup campaign in commanding style with a comfortable win over Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The newly crowned European champions controlled the game from the start, showing their quality in front of a crowd of 80,619 under the blazing midday sun.

The French side dominated possession early, holding the ball for more than 82 percent of the first 15 minutes. Their early control paid off when Fabian Ruiz fired a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Goncalo Ramos had three chances but failed to convert. Just before the break, Vitinha cut through the Atletico defence and calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Jan Oblak to double PSG’s lead.

Oblak kept Atletico in the match with a fine save shortly after halftime, tipping a curling shot from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia onto the crossbar. Julian Alvarez thought he had added a third, but his goal was disallowed due to a foul in the buildup.

Atletico’s hopes of a comeback were dashed when they were reduced to ten men in unusual fashion. Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card for dissent after the referee ignored a potential foul on Oblak.

The Spanish side had a golden chance to reduce the deficit late on, but substitute Alexander Sorloth missed an open goal from close range. PSG sealed the result when substitute Senny Mayulu, who scored in the Champions League final, struck again in the 87th minute. In added time, Ibrahim Mbaye hit the post, and a handball by Robin le Normand led to a penalty, calmly put away by Lee Kang in to make it four.

Beyond the goals, the major talking point was the intense heat. With kickoff scheduled for noon and the temperature hitting 31 degrees Celsius, players battled under extreme conditions. Two official cooling breaks were held during the match, with players using towels and ice to cool down.

Vitinha, who was named player of the match, admitted the heat made it difficult to perform. The match highlighted growing concerns about match scheduling, especially with the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico expected to bring more games under similar conditions. The players’ union Fifpro has called for stronger protections, arguing current cooling break policies may not be enough.