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PSG dismantle Atletico Madrid 4-0 in impressive Club World Cup opener

AFNEWS reporter

Jun 16, 2025

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Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain opened their Club World Cup campaign with an impressive 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, underlining to their rivals that they will likely be the team to beat in this tournament.

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PSG largely dominated Atletico at the Rose Bowl on Sunday in their first match since trouncing Inter Milan 5-0 to win its first Champions League title on May 31.

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Ousmane Dembele did not feature for PSG after reportedly injuring a quadricep while playing for France on June 6. Goncalo Ramos replaced Dembele in Luis Enrique's only change to the starting lineup from the Champions League final.

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Enrique wore shorts and a training shirt on the sideline while coaching PSG in 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) midday California heat.

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PSG controlled possession early, and Ruiz capitalised from just outside the penalty area in the 19th minute. The Spanish midfielder long coveted by Atletico beat Jan Oblak with a clever strike into the far corner.

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Julian Alvarez appeared to pull one back for Atletico in the second half, but his goal was chalked off after VAR determined Koke had fouled Desire Doue in the build-up.

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Alexander Sorloth somehow missed an open net in the 82nd minute for Atletico in a move that made Simeone fall to his knees in disbelief.

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Mayulu secured PSG's victory five minutes later, and Lee converted a penalty with the final kick of the match from the spot after a handball by Robin Le Normand in the box.

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Thomas Muller, Kingsley Coman and Michael Olise scored two goals each for the Bundesliga champions, who went ahead on Coman's goal six minutes in. Bayern had a 17-1 advantage in shots on target.

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Musiala, a 22-year-old midfielder, replaced Harry Kane in the 61st minute, making his first appearance since April 4 after recovering from a hamstring injury. He scored in the 67th minute, converted a penalty kick in the 73rd and scored again in the 84th.

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— AFNEWS reporter

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