Paris Saint-Germain 4 Atletico Madrid 0 – European champions put down a marker with clinical win – The Athletic – The New York Times

Club World Cup
Paris Saint-Germain showed why they are European champions with a commanding 4-0 win against Atletico Madrid in the first match of the Club World Cup’s Group B in Los Angeles.
Fabian Ruiz opened the scoring after 19 minutes in the Rose Bowl’s blazing midday heat, striking after the French club pressed their opponents into a mistake deep in their own half. Vitinha doubled the advantage just before half-time; Antoine Griezmann had just Atletico’s best chance to that point but PSG ruthlessly broke down the other end to score.
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Julian Alvarez had a goal disallowed in the second half after a foul by Koke on Desire Doue in the build-up play as the match became disjointed and scrappy. Clement Lenglet made things worse for Atletico by getting sent off for two yellow cards with 12 minutes of the 90 remaining. It allowed Luis Enrique’s team to coast to victory — with Senny Mayulu scoring their third and Lee Kang-in scoring a penalty with the last kick of the game — ahead of the other opening game in this group, Brazil’s Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders of MLS in the latter’s Lumen Field home stadium.
Here our reporters, Stuart James, Dermot Corrigan, Jack Lang and Thom Harris break down the key talking points in the game…
PSG might have been forgiven for easing off the gas under the beating sun. It’s barely been two weeks since they thrashed Inter 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League final, three since they won the French Cup final, and they were also dominant — and, again, champions — over the nine months and 34 games of their domestic league campaign.
They were having none of it.
The ball gave PSG life throughout a stylish display, as relentless rotation pulled Atletico apart. Diego Simeone’s Spanish side are usually well-equipped to pull off a defensive smash-and-grab, having beaten the Parisians 2-1 in their own stadium in the Champions League in November despite having just 29 per cent of possession in the match, but they were chasing shadows throughout much of today’s first half — 45 minutes that put them firmly on the back foot.
PSG’s midfield three were at the heart of it all, the elusive Vitinha often dropping into a centre-back role to allow marauding full-back Nuno Mendes to push on. Ruiz was equally dynamic, drifting across the pitch and frequently driving into space behind enemy lines after neat one-twos, while Joao Neves was typically tenacious without the ball — an incredible feat in such punishing conditions.
45 + 1′ | GOAL @vitinha — brilliant strike to double the lead for @PSG_inside
WATCH Paris Saint-Germain-Atlético de Madrid in the @FIFACWC NOW! | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #PSGATM pic.twitter.com/4J78kUhXET
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 15, 2025

All three were involved in the opening goal — Ruiz and Neves both within the centre circle just 10 seconds before the former tore forward to nick back possession, and the latter smashed in from the edge of the box.
We saw right-back Achraf Hakimi pop up on the left, his opposite number Mendes drive through the middle, Doue flit from flank to flank. It’s dizzying to watch; one can only imagine how it feels to chase.
Thom Harris
Atletico were proud to have qualified for this tournament, and many at the club were looking forward to showing they deserved to be ranked among the sport’s global elite.
So far, their trip to the United States has not gone to plan, however. The hotel that is their base for this competition is in downtown Los Angeles, just a short walk from City Hall, where a lot of the recent protests have been taking place. Players and staff have admitted to hearing police sirens and helicopters at all hours of the day since arriving, but claimed before this game that the noise and uncertainty had not affected their preparation. The team’s apparent lack of energy and ideas as they were completely overrun in Sunday’s first 45 minutes suggested otherwise.
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Under Simeone, Atletico can often thrive in adversity, and through this season they have regularly roared back into games which had not started well. That included coming from a goal down in November’s Champions League game at PSG to win 2-1, a typical ‘smash and grab’ from this team.
After going in at the break two down here, Simeone sent on veteran midfielder Koke for previously anonymous left-winger Samuel Lino. This did make the team more solid — and Alvarez thought he had pulled one back with a speared 15-yard finish, only for the VAR officials to spot Koke’s crafty trip on Doue to help them win the ball back at the start of the move.
19′ | GOAAAAAL! @FabianRP52 puts @PSG_English ahead with a brilliant effort!
WATCH Paris Saint-Germain-Atlético de Madrid in the @FIFACWC NOW! | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #PSGATM pic.twitter.com/MTvGi8dXDL
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 15, 2025

Just past the hour, Simeone made one of his patented triple substitutions, meaning the Atletico team on the pitch were now much fresher and more attacking.
By 70 minutes, he had sent on a fifth sub in huge centre-forward Alexander Sorloth, who missed a golden opportunity with less than 10 minutes remaining, driving the ball over the bar from only a few yards out. They still caused PSG little damage overall though, and never looked likely to get anything out of this game, especially after their growing frustration with referee Istvan Kovacs brought a second yellow card for Lenglet, for dissent.  
Atletico are scheduled to be based at the same hotel through the group phase — except for flying up the Pacific Coast to Seattle for two days to play Thursday’s middle game of the three against local MLS side the Sounders.
Simeone’s team must hope a change of scene in the Pacific Northwest, and maybe a bit more calm around the camp, will help them get the result they need to keep their Club World Cup alive.
Dermot Corrigan
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia must be a manager’s dream. A gifted dribbler with an incredible work ethic, the Georgian plays the game with a mixture of adventure, tenacity and selflessness. He made his mark on this opening Group B fixture with two assists before the interval and was inches away from scoring an outstanding goal himself, only to be denied by the combination of Jan Oblak’s smart goalkeeping and the crossbar. 
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PSG’s first goal highlighted Kvaratskhelia’s football intelligence, the winger drifting into a more central position in the Atletico penalty area, where he received the ball with his back to goal and cleverly teed up Ruiz. His second assist came at the end of a superb counter-attack, scampering away on the left flank before feeding Vitinha. 
But it’s the hunger, desire and energy that Kvaratskhelia brings to PSG’s pressing that catches the eye every bit as much as his goal contributions. He is a tireless worker who epitomises the changing face of PSG’s attack this season – superb with the ball and relentless without it. 
It would have been fitting if Kvaratskhelia’s curling shot early in the second half, after he received possession from Mendes and stepped inside onto his right foot, had found the top corner. Instead, Oblak’s fingertips intervened.
Stuart James
50′ 🧤 Big save by Jan Oblak! A lively start to the second half in LA!
WATCH Paris Saint-Germain-Atlético de Madrid in the @FIFACWC NOW! | June 14 – July 13 | Every Game | Free | https://t.co/i0K4eUtwwb | #FIFACWC #TakeItToTheWorld #PSGATM pic.twitter.com/6frwqAt2Q2
— DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) June 15, 2025

It was 28C (82F) at the noon local time kick-off at the Rose Bowl. By full time, that had risen to 32. For the fans, there was no respite, not a square inch of shade to be found in this lovely old ice-cream scoop of a stadium. You don’t often see football managers wearing shorts away from the training ground, but PSG’s Luis Enrique must have been pretty happy with his sartorial decision here.
How did the players handle the heat? It was a mixed bag. PSG, in the first half especially, coped well, pressing with their usual intensity. Atletico did not fare so well. Think slow-motion runs, hands on hips, more panting than a trouser factory. At one point, left-back Javi Galan made a rare foray forward, lost the ball and then just kind of… stood there, dazed and confused, heat stroke already on order.
Jack Lang
Counter-pressing — it’s not quite as cool as Doue’s fleet-footed flicks and tricks, those rangy, zig-zag runs from Kvaratskhelia, but boy does it make this PSG side look good.
In such oppressive heat it’s crucial to keep the ball, and Luis Enrique’s side managed that, controlling close to three-quarters of the possession throughout the first-half. But equally important is how they reacted to losing it — always quick to apply instant pressure to Atletico Madrid — penning them in and forcing mistakes at a demoralising rate.
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Goncalo Ramos was the chief presser in the opening stages, a formidable force to circumnavigate as Madrid looked to play out from the back. He successfully put Lenglet under pressure, notably squeezing up and winning a corner out of the Frenchman as he passed the ball out of play with the striker close by.
But as with most things this PSG side do so well, their defensive work is a co-ordinated effort. It was Neves who spotted the chance to nick the ball in the lead up to the opening goal but without Hakimi’s powerful run to panic Javi Galan, and a collective effort to push up the pitch — seven players surrounding the penalty area by the time Ruiz struck the ball — the chance would not have materialised at all.
Controlling the tempo of top-level games is not easy, but a blend of technicality on the ball and intensity without it keeps PSG fresh. Atletico won’t be the only victims of their smothering press.
“Happy. I think we are competing at the same level as we were before,” the Paris Saint-Germain coach told tournament broadcaster DAZN. “Even with this temperature and heat. You have to manage (the heat) because it’s the best time for the European countries (to show matches being played on the West Coast, with the eight-hour time difference), but it’s difficult to play in those conditions. Every single player has been developing, showing to the team their best quality. As a coach, I’m very happy.”
Thursday, June 19: Botafogo, Club World Cup group stage (Los Angeles), 9pm ET, 2am Fri UK
Thursday, June 19: Seattle Sounders, Club World Cup group stage (Seattle), 6pm ET, 11pm UK
You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free.
(Top photo of Fabian Ruiz: Omar Vega/Getty Images)

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