PASADENA, Calif. — Champions League titleholders Paris Saint-Germain opened their Club World Cup campaign with a commanding 4-0 victory over Atlético Madrid on Sunday, delivering a clear statement of intent in the tournament’s inaugural 32-team edition.
PSG controlled the match from the opening whistle at the Rose Bowl, building on the momentum from their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final just weeks earlier. Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha scored in the first half before Senny Mayulu and Lee Kang-in added to the tally after halftime, sealing a dominant win in front of a vibrant crowd of 80,619 — the same stadium that hosted the 1994 World Cup final.
The Parisian club showed no signs of fatigue despite a taxing schedule, outclassing Atlético Madrid in a high-profile group stage clash. It was a performance that reflected their treble-winning pedigree and underscored their ambition to lift the global club trophy.
Atlético’s frustrations boiled over in the second half as Clément Lenglet was sent off in the 78th minute following a second yellow card, a moment that further unraveled Diego Simeone’s side on a sweltering California afternoon. The Argentine manager, visibly irate on the sidelines, saw his team collect seven yellow cards in a disjointed outing marred by missed chances and defensive lapses.
Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique made just one change to his Champions League-winning lineup, slotting in Gonçalo Ramos for the injured Ousmane Dembélé, who suffered a quadriceps injury while on international duty with France on June 6. Coaching in the midday heat of 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 Celsius), Enrique watched as his side took early control of the game and never relinquished it.
Ruiz opened the scoring in the 19th minute, placing a precise shot into the far corner after finding space atop the penalty area. The goal was especially poignant given long-standing transfer links between the Spanish midfielder and Atlético.
PSG doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time as Vitinha broke through the Atlético defense to convert Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s second assist of the half, capitalizing just moments after Gianluigi Donnarumma made a critical save on Antoine Griezmann to preserve the lead.
Though Atlético briefly thought they had a lifeline in the second half through Julián Álvarez, VAR intervened to nullify the goal due to a foul by Koke in the buildup. The missed opportunity underscored a miserable afternoon for the Spanish side, which hit rock bottom when Alexander Sørloth misfired an open-net chance in the 82nd minute.
Mayulu punished the miss minutes later, slotting home PSG’s third. Lee Kang-in capped the rout with a composed penalty in the final seconds of the match, highlighting PSG’s relentless pace and precision throughout the 90 minutes.
The result puts PSG in firm control of their group and cements their status as one of the favorites in the revamped Club World Cup format. Despite the setback, Atlético is still expected to advance, though it now faces a tighter margin for error in its remaining matches.
After the game, Enrique praised his team’s focus and drive. “In this competition, we’ve set ourselves the goal to make history,” he said. “We are entering a new chapter, and we need to show it’s possible to reinvent ourselves. I was happy with the way we performed today.”
Atlético midfielder Koke acknowledged PSG’s superiority but expressed frustration with the match’s turning points. “The sending-off killed us,” he said. “We knew it was going to be difficult, but for me, 4-0 is not fair. PSG are fair winners. Given their level, they were better. We have to push harder, like in the second half, when we were a different team.”
With their toughest group opponent now behind them, PSG appears poised to continue their dominant run on the global stage — a campaign that could mark yet another historic milestone in a season already full of silverware.
