How PSG booked their place in the Club World Cup knockouts and eliminated Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field – The New York Times

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Paris Saint-Germain have booked their place in the Club World Cup knockout stage after a comfortable 2-0 win against Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi got the goals for the European champions as they picked up their second victory of the tournament and secured top spot in Group B.
In the other game, Atletico Madrid were eliminated from the tournament despite beating Botafogo in Pasadena.
PSG will face the Group A runners-up in the last 16 — that team is currently Lionel Messi's Inter Miami.
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Seattle Sounders 0 PSG 2: Bizarre goal helps European champions qualify for last 16
Two more matches are coming up today at the Club World Cup with Group A being decided in a few hours' time.
That means it is Lionel Messi as he and his Inter Miami team-mates are in action at Hard Rock Stadium — they face current group leaders Palmeiras, with both teams knowing that a point apiece will take them into the knockouts.
The other game in that group pits FC Porto against Al Ahly at MetLife Stadium.
Both of those matches kick off at 9pm ET and we are covering Inter Miami vs Palmeiras live here.
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Those two teams will have five days to prepare for their last-16 ties.
The Club World Cup knockouts begin on Saturday, June 28 and we will be covering every kick of those matches here on The Athletic.
Up first — at 12pm ET — Botafogo face whichever team finishes top of Group A before PSG will be action against the runners up at 4pm ET.
There will be real frustration among the Atletico players, fans and staff, but what a moment for Botafogo to make it through a group that no one expected them to make it out of.
Their supporters have brought a brilliant energy to the tournament and their campaign will continue into the knockouts where they will fancy their chances of making the quarter-final.
They will face the winners of Group A, and the team currently occupying top spot there is their Brazilian peers Palmeiras.
As for PSG, they will face the runners up in that group, currently Inter Miami.
Two brilliant knockout ties in prospect there!
It was a difficult group, but Atletico have not been close enough to their best.
A great opportunity lost in terms of brand growth and economic income. Perhaps some within the club will regret not having made an effort to get to the tournament with reinforcements that were clearly necessary.
Atletico have won two of their three games, in what is probably the most difficult group in the competition, including both the reigning champions of Europe and South America.
Simeone’s team also did not have much luck on or off the pitch during their two weeks in the US — between noisy protests outside their hotel, burning heat in their two most important games and big VAR calls not going their way against either PSG or Botafogo.
But they did not play very well in any of their games, and nobody can really argue they deserved to qualify for the knockout stages.
The final whistle sounds at the Rose Bowl. Atletico Madrid win 1-0 after Griezmann's 87th-minute opener, but will not advance.
PSG and Botafogo are officially through to the last 16 out of Group B.
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Atletico Madrid knew that they needed to beat Botafogo by three goals — if PSG beat Seattle Sounders — to make it into the Club World Cup knockouts.
But it took the Spaniards 86 minutes to make the breakthrough against their stern Brazilian opponents. Substitute Antoine Griezmann got the goal for Atletico but, with just stoppage time left to play, it looks as though Diego Simeone's men will be heading out.
FT Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
And there goes the final whistle at Lumen Field!
PSG are through to the knockouts while Seattle Sounders have been eliminated without picking up a point.
90+1' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
There are just five minutes left of this Club World Cup campaign for Seattle Sounders — can they find a late goal to give their fans something to celebrate?
89' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
I'm not quite sure why, but Morris' introduction from the bench was delayed.
And after receiving the warmest reception of the afternoon, he very nearly made a telling contribution with his first touches. He moved into the box on the left-hand side and still managed to work half a yard of space despite being tracked the whole way.
In the end, his effort was defected behind for a corner that PSG were able to clear fairly easily.
86' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
That looked to be a certain goal for PSG, until a extraordinary intervention from Nouhou!
Another well-worked move from the European champions gave Zaire-Emery a chance to really wrap up the match. His effort was decent and Sounders fans feared the worst, but Nouhou was stationed perfectly on the line to volley it clear.
Perhaps the last moment to properly cheer for the Sounders supporters at this Club World Cup.
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82' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
One of the Sounders players has been unable to shake off a late knock, so the hosts have been forced into a change and it is one that will be very popular with the home fans.
Jordan Morris, one of the club's true hometown heroes, is coming on for the final few minutes at Lumen Field and will receive a great ovation, I'm sure.
While PSG's place in the knockouts is almost certainly now secure, the same can probably be said of Botafogo.
The Brazilian side just need to avoid losing by three goals to Atletico and, with just over 15 minutes of normal time left at Rose Bowl, it is still goalless.
It will take an almighty effort for Diego Simeone's men to make it through from here.
74' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
Seattle Sounders are continuing to throw players forward in the hope of maintaining their record of scoring in every game they play at this Club World Cup.
The issue with that is that is leaves space for PSG to go the other way and that is how the European champions found it so easy to double their lead.
There are very few, if any, better counter-attacking teams in the world than Luis Enrique's men, so they might not have finished their scoring in this one.
70' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
The French side is making it look easy, even when Seattle manage to threaten. The European champions can now coast for the rest of the half, as the knockout rounds await.
68' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
That is exactly what PSG have been doing to teams when they have been committing too many players forward.
Substitute Barcola was picked out on the left wing and drove towards the penalty area. He got into the box and, surrounded by defenders, picked out Hakimi who was free from any attention.
The Moroccan had time to take a touch, compose himself and then finish into the back of the net.
That will surely be enough for PSG to take all three points.
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67' Seattle Sounders 0-2 PSG
And PSG have now surely confirmed their place in the knockouts.
64' Seattle Sounders 0-1 PSG
For the first time today, Luis Enrique has gone to his bench, and he has so much quality on there.
Goalscorer Kvaratskhelia has been withdrawn, as has Neves who had been shown a yellow card. On in their places are Bradley Barcola and Warren Zaire-Emery.
60' Seattle Sounders 0-1 PSG
It was a pretty competitive game in the first half, but the half-time break seems to have killed the Sounders a little.
They have looked a bit deflated since returning to the pitch and PSG are in full control now. That dominance was nearly rubber stamped by a goal.
Hakimi aimed a brilliant curling delivery into the heart of the penalty area and Neves did very well to get to it, but he could only prod wide at full stretch.

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