Category Archives: 2025 Club World Cup

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Chelsea Beat PSG To Win 2025 Club World Cup, Palmer, Pedro Shine

Chelsea Beat PSG To Win 2025 Club World Cup, Palmer, Pedro Shine

2025 Club World Cup, Chelsea, Club World Cup, PSG, Sports

In a dazzling finale to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, Chelsea outclassed Paris Saint-Germain with a commanding 3-0 victory on Sunday night, July 13.

During the Club World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium in the United States, Cole Palmer stole the spotlight with a first-half brace before João Pedro sealed the win with a cheeky chip.

From the opening whistle, it was clear Chelsea had come not just to compete but to win. Fans in the packed stadium were already buzzing, some holding cheeky posters of Ousmane Dembélé hoisting the Ballon d’Or before the game began, but the night belonged to the Blues.

Cole Palmer lit up the scoresheet in the 22nd minute. After a spell of pressure, he calmly placed a low shot into the bottom-left corner, leaving Gianluigi Donnarumma helpless.

Eight minutes later, Palmer was back at it, this time doubling Chelsea’s advantage with another composed finish that had PSG’s backline scrambling. The 30th-minute goal sent Chelsea fans into raptures and PSG into panic mode.

Right before halftime, Palmer turned provider, sliding a deft assist into João Pedro’s path. The Brazilian forward responded with a delightful chip over the onrushing Donnarumma to make it 3-0 in the 43rd minute. By halftime, the damage was done.

During the half-time break, Nigerian music star, Tems performed his hit song, Love Me Jeje to the spectators which included United States president, Donald Trump.

When the second half resumed, PSG attempted to fight back with João Neves and Kvaratskhelia threatening from distance, but Robert Sanchez proved to be an impenetrable wall.

The Spanish goalkeeper pulled off a string of spectacular saves, notably denying Neves’ header early in the half and reacting swiftly to Dembélé’s powerful drive moments later.

The Parisians’ night went from bad to worse when João Neves saw red in the 85th minute for a bizarre and violent foul, pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair during a touchline tussle.

Chelsea’s discipline, structure, and creative flair proved too much for a disjointed PSG side that never truly found rhythm. The Blues were firm in defence, fluid in attack, and tireless in transition.

Man of the Match: Cole Palmer: 2 goals and 1 assist.

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Andre Onana Ruled Out Of Man United’s Tour, Four Clubs Qualify For 2029 Club World Cup

2025 Club World Cup, Andre Onana, Club World Cup, Manchester United, Sports

Manchester United’s first-choice goalkeeper, Andre Onana, has suffered a hamstring injury during training and will miss the club’s upcoming U.S. pre-season tour.

Andre Onana will still travel with the squad to America for the three-match Premier League Summer Series, but won’t feature in any of the games. Instead, the 29-year-old Cameroonian goalkeeper will focus on rehabilitation ahead of the new season.

A club source quoted by the BBC, confirmed, “He’s responded well to initial treatment and there’s no long-term concern, but the staff are taking a cautious approach. He’ll be in the U.S. with the team but won’t play.”

With Onana sidelined, Altay Bayındır, 27, is expected to take the gloves during the tour. The Turkish international had previously seen his United future thrown into doubt after being overlooked for the Europa League final in favour of Onana, despite the latter’s inconsistent form.

The injury has reignited debate over United’s depth in the goalkeeping department. Though manager Ruben Amorim has publicly backed Onana since arriving at Old Trafford, the setback may force United to reconsider their transfer strategy.

At the close of last season, there was already speculation that the club might dip back into the market for a more consistent option between the sticks. Now, with pre-season looming, the pressure is growing.

Despite the uncertainty, Amorim remains steadfast. “I trust Onana,” he said before training resumed. “He made mistakes, yes, but he’s also capable of the extraordinary. He’ll remain first-choice.”

Veteran shot-stopper Tom Heaton, 39, who just signed a new one-year deal, offers a wealth of experience, but his role is expected to remain peripheral.

Beyond that, United’s alternatives are largely untested. Radek Vitek, the 21-year-old Czech youth international, showed promise on loan in Austria, but lacks senior minutes.

Meanwhile, Hubert Graczyk, Elyh Harrison (19), and Dermot Mee (22) are yet to feature for the senior side, though they were named on the bench toward the end of last season.

United kick off their pre-season campaign with a clash against old rivals Leeds United in Stockholm on 19 July, before flying stateside for matches against West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton between 27 July and 3 August. They will wrap up their summer with a home fixture against Fiorentina on 9 August at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils then open their Premier League season with a blockbuster tie against Arsenal at the Emirates on 17 August.

Four Teams Already Seal Spots for 2029 FIFA Club World Cup

While the expanded 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is yet to be concluded, four clubs have already booked their tickets to the 2029 edition of the global tournament.

Paris Saint-Germain, Cruz Azul, Pyramids FC, and Al-Ahli are the first teams confirmed for the 2029 tournament, as FIFA continues to maintain its new 32-team, quadrennial format.

PSG earned their spot after beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League final.

From North America, Cruz Azul of Mexico booked their place by winning the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup, while Egypt’s Pyramids FC secured qualification through their first CAF Champions League triumph.

Rounding out the early qualifiers is Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli, who lifted the AFC Champions League Elite title last season.

Meanwhile, attention now turns to the final of the 2025 Club World Cup, with Chelsea set to face PSG at 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Confirmed 2029 Club World Cup teams so far:

Paris Saint-Germain (France)

Cruz Azul (Mexico)

Pyramids FC (Egypt)

Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia)

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Luis Enrique Sets Emotions Aside Ahead of PSG Vs Real Madrid Club World Cup Clash

2025 Club World Cup, Club World Cup, Kylian Mbappe, Luis Enrique, PSG, Sports

Paris Saint-Germain manager, Luis Enrique insists there is no lingering sentiment ahead of a highly anticipated Club World Cup semi-final against Real Madrid.

Note that PSG’s former talisman, Kylian Mbappé, is set to face his former club for the first time since he left them for Real Madrid after a very controversial last season at Parc des Princes.

The showdown will take place at 8 p.m. tonight, July 9, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

In the pre-match press conference, Luis Enrique stressed that facing Real Madrid at this stage of the Club World Cup shows that he and his team have done well.

“Playing against Real Madrid is always a special game,” Enrique said. “We are delighted to be playing in a game like this because it means we have done a good job up to now.”

Recall that PSG booked their spot in the semi-final after a dramatic victory over Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals. The match cost PSG key defenders Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez, who are both suspended after receiving red cards.

The Parisians enter this showdown fresh from a historic season in which they won their first UEFA Champions League title. But looming large is the figure of Mbappé, their once cherished star, who is now a rival.

Enrique, who managed the France captain in the striker’s last season at PSG, stressed that the crisis between the player and the club is a thing of the past.

“All I can say is that belongs in the past, it is behind us now,” the coach said.

“Lots of things make this a special game. This game is important because it is a Club World Cup semi-final. That makes it very interesting and we need to be ready to remain focused on the match. We are very close to playing another final and that is a true motivation.”

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2025 Club World Cup: Nine-Men PSG Knockout Bayern Munich

2025 Club World Cup, Bayern Munich, Club World Cup, Paris Saint-Germain, PSG, Sports

Paris Saint-Germain went past Bayern Munich with a 2-0 victory in a dramatic Club World Cup quarter-final clash earlier today, July 5.

The PSG Vs Bayern Munich Club World Cup clash had everything: goals, red cards, close calls, and a tribute to the late Diogo Jota and his brother André, who were buried earlier today.

The game opened with a minute of silence, with players and fans paying their respects to the Portuguese star and his brother.

Afterwards, action kicked off as both sides displayed attacking intent. 21-year-old Désiré Doué had the first major chance in the 3rd minute, but his effort went wide.

Bayern responded swiftly, with Michael Olise forcing a sharp save from Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 5th minute, one of several top-class stops from the Italian keeper.

PSG’s attacking threats kept coming. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the side netting in the 18th minute, and Fabian Ruiz missed a golden opportunity three minutes later.

Donnarumma continued to deny Bayern. He saved Olise’s attempt in the 26th minute and produced an acrobatic stretch to keep out Musiala in the 41st minute.

Drama came in waves. Doué went down in the box in the 29th minute but the referee waved away penalty appeals. In the 45th minute, Bayern thought they had found the breakthrough, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Serge Gnabry replaced Musiala at halftime as the 22-year-old German attacking midfielder appeared to have suffered a horror injury from a collision with Donnarumma.

Despite their efforts, Bayern couldn’t find a way past Donnarumma. Manuel Neuer, meanwhile, was called into action at the other end, denying Kvaratskhelia and then nearly gifting PSG a goal with a late mistake that Dembélé failed to convert.

The game turned in the 78th minute when Doué finally broke the deadlock, firing PSG ahead.

PSG suffered a scare when defender Willian Pacho received a straight red card in the 82nd minute, leaving the German champions down to ten men. Harry Kane thought he had drawn Bayern level in the 87th, but his effort was once again ruled offside.

Tensions flared in stoppage time. PSG’s Lucas Hernández was shown a second yellow and sent off in the 92nd minute. Yet, Bayern continued to push desperately for an equaliser. Amid that, Ousmane Dembélé struck on the counterattack in the 96th minute to seal the win.

With the 2-0 win, PSG are qualified for the semi-finals of the 2025 Club World Cup, while the journey of Bayern Munich is over. The French Ligue 1 champions will face either Real Madrid or Dortmund in the next stage of the competition.

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2025 Club World Cup: PSG Knockout Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami

2025 Club World Cup, Inter Miami, Lionel Messi, Major League Soccer (MLS), PSG, Sports

The journey is over for Lionel Messi and his Major League Soccer club, Inter Miami at the ongoing 2025 Club World Cup.

French Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League reigning winners, Paris Saint-Germain proved to be insurmountable for Lionel Messi, and his teammates.

PSG got the goal as early as the 6th minute of the encounter thanks to Joao Neves’ strike. Before the MLS side could fight back, the 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder scored his second goal of the match.

Afterwards, the rain of goals continued as Tomás Avilés scored an own goal in the 44th minute and then Achraf Hakimi sealed the win in injury time of the first half.

Interestingly, Inter Miami, who are currently placed sixth in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference, successfully prevented the French side from scoring more goals throughout the second half. Hence, the game ended in a 4-0 bashing of the American club.

Messi, who faced PSG for the first time since he left the club after the 2023-2024 season, could not do much but recorded a couple of goal-scoring chances.

With the 4-0 win over Inter Miami in the Club World Cup round of 16, PSG have booked themselves a place in the quarter-finals stage of the competition.

Coach Luis Enrique and his boys are scheduled to face either Bayern Munich or Flamengo in the next stage of the competition on Saturday.

Based on their performance so far, the French side, who won their first ever Champions League title last season, are seen as favourites to win the 2025 Club World Cup, a feat that will be another first in the history of the club.

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Chelsea Coach, Enzo Maresca Questions Why USA Was Allowed To Host Club World Cup

2025 Club World Cup, Chelsea, Club World Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Sports, United States

The manager of Chelsea, Enzo Maresca, has suggested that the United States of America does not seem to be the right country to host the ongoing Club World Cup due to the bad weather conditions in the country.

On Saturday night, June 28, Enzo Maresca led Chelsea to the round of 16 game against Benfica. In the 85th minute of the Club World Cup game, the match was suspended indefinitely due to seasonal summer thunderstorms.

This makes it the 6th time a Club World Cup game has been suspended since the competition started in the United States earlier this month.

Before the unexpected break which lasted for almost three hours, Chelsea had taken a slim lead thanks to Reece James’ 64th-minute goal.

When the game resumed, Angel di Maria scored the equaliser for Benfica from the penalty spot in the 95th minute after a VAR check.

In extra time, Chelsea bounced back with a goal each from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to seal an emphatic win.

After the 4-1 victory which gave Chelsea a spot in the Club World Cup quarter-finals, Coach Enzo Maresca described the initial suspension of the match as “a joke”.

“I think it’s a joke, to be honest,” the Italian tactician said.

“It’s not football. It’s completely something new; I struggle to understand.

“I can understand if it’s security reasons, but if you suspend seven or eight games, then it’s probably not the right place to do the competition.

“It’s not normal to suspend the game. In the World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero probably. In Europe how many games get suspended? Zero.

“We’ve been here two weeks and they’ve already suspended six or seven games. There are some problems for me personally.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo Reveals Why He Snubbed 2025 Club World Cup

2025 Club World Cup, Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo, Sports

Portuguese football icon, Cristiano Ronaldo, has admitted that he had the chance of playing at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup, but he turned down the opportunity because he wanted to enjoy the summer break ahead of next season.

Before Cristiano Ronaldo signed a two-year contract extension with Al Nassr on Thursday, there were strong speculations that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was wanted by a Club World Cup side, Al Hilal.

The Middle Eastern giants were aiming to bring in Ronaldo ahead of the tournament but the 40-year-old Portuguese football icon reportedly turned down the offer.

Also, before the Club World Cup kicked off, FIFA President Gianni Infantino told reporters that there were ongoing efforts to make Ronaldo play at the tournament even though his current club, Al Nassr were not qualified for it.

Amid the speculations, Ronaldo who is aiming to hit a record-setting 1,000 career goals, signed a contract extension with his current club.

“I had some offers to play in the World Cup but I think it didn’t make sense because I prefer to have a good rest, a good preparation, because this season will be very long as it is the World Cup season at the end of the year,” Ronaldo said in a video Al Nassr shared on 𝕏.

“I want to be ready not only for Al Nassr but also for the national team. So, this is why I decided to play the last game for the Nations League and not listen to anything.

“And of course, to be in this club, which I love”.

On why he decided to remain at Al Nassr, where he has been playing since January 2023, Ronaldo, who has won at least a trophy for his previous clubs, said he aims to do the same for the Saudi side.

“My goal is always to win something important for Al Nassr. And of course I still believe in that” Ronaldo added.

“This is why I renewed for two more years because I believe that I will be a champion in Saudi Arabia”.

Note that Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances for Al Nassr in all competitions. He currently has a record 932 career goals.

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Palmeiras Ends Botafogo’s 2025 Club World Cup Journey

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Palmeiras defeated Botafogo 1-0 on Saturday to advance to the Club World Cup quarterfinals, all thanks to substitute Paulinho, who scored the game-winning goal in extra time.

Naija News understands that the winger entered the game at the same moment as Palmeiras coach, Abel Ferreira, substituted teenage sensation Estevao Willian, a decision that seemed puzzling at the time but turned out to be wise.

When Paulinho received a pass from Richard Rios on the right flank in the 100th minute of the match, he had the time and space to enter the box and slam a low shot into the far corner.

The Palmeiras supporters who made up the great majority of the 33657 spectators inside Lincoln Financial Field celebrated wildly after that. The Sao Paulo team managed to win the match in the round of 16 even though captain Gustavo Gomez was sent off late in the game.

Palmeiras, the 2020 and 2021 Copa Libertadores winners, will now remain in Philadelphia for a quarterfinal matchup with Chelsea or Benfica, who play later Saturday in Charlotte.

With nearly every opportunity going to the men in green, they had been the more dangerous team throughout this matchup between the top two teams from the Brazilian league the previous year.

The Rio de Janeiro team Botafogo won the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history in 2024 after defeating Palmeiras to win the domestic championship.

Despite losing their coach and a number of important players, they defeated Paris Saint-Germain, the European champions, in the Club World Cup group stage to advance to the knockout stage before Atletico Madrid.

In a game played in Philadelphia during the warm midday hours, Palmeiras, however, were the more animated of the two teams.

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Club World Cup: 14 Teams Confirm Round Of 16 Spots, Two Places Remain

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The race for the Round of 16 at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup is nearing its climax, with 14 teams already sealing their places in the knockout stage as of Thursday morning, leaving just two spots up for grabs.

Borussia Dortmund secured top spot in Group E following a narrow 1-0 victory over Ulsan HD, courtesy of a first-half strike from Daniel Svensson. The win sees the German side advance into the next round.

Joining them is Brazilian side Fluminense, who managed a tense 0-0 draw against South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns. The point was enough to see the Copa Libertadores holders through.

Earlier today, Inter Milan claimed top honours in Group E with a convincing 2-0 win over Argentina’s River Plate. Meanwhile, Mexican giants Monterrey completed a dominant performance against Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan, winning 4-0 to take the group’s second qualifying spot.

The newly qualified sides now join an already star-studded cast in the Round of 16, which includes Inter Miami, Palmeiras, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Benfica, Bayern Munich, Flamengo, Botafogo, Juventus, and Manchester City.

With only two places left to be decided, the stage is set for a dramatic conclusion to the group phase as clubs battle for a chance at global glory.

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Club World Cup 2025: Four Clubs Reach Round Of 16, Seven Teams Out

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Juventus and Manchester City have sealed their spots in the Round of 16 at the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, following commanding victories in their second Group G matches on Sunday.

Juventus continued their fine form at the Club World Cup with a 4-1 demolition of Moroccan side Wydad AC. Rising star Kenan Yildiz was the standout performer for the Serie A giants, scoring twice and playing a key role in forcing an own goal that capped off a dominant display.

The Italian side had earlier opened their campaign with a crushing 5-0 win over Al Ain, putting them firmly in control of the group and confirming their qualification with six points from two matches.

Manchester City also confirmed their progression in emphatic fashion, dismantling Al Ain 6-0 in the second game of the group.

Ilkay Gündogan scored a brace, while Erling Haaland opened his account for the tournament. Promising youngsters Claudio Echeverri, Oscar Bobb, and Rayan Cherki also found the back of the net in a one-sided affair.

Al Ain and Wydad AC, having lost both of their opening fixtures, have now been eliminated from the tournament. Al Ain suffered heavy defeats, 5-0 to Juventus and 6-0 to City, while Wydad managed just a single goal in their 4-1 loss to Juventus after falling 2-0 to City in their opening game.

The eliminated sides will now play for pride in their final group match on Thursday.

Juventus and Manchester City join Bayern Munich and Flamengo as the first four clubs to officially book their places in the knockout stage. Meanwhile, seven teams, including Ulsan HD, Auckland City, Los Angeles FC, Pachuca, and Urawa Red Diamonds, have now exited the tournament.

Note that the ongoing 2025 Club World Cup in the United States features 32 teams for the first time in the history of the competition.

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