The most surprising result in the Club World Cup since the tournament began in its new format represented one of the greatest victories for Brazilian soccer in the 21st century. Going against all expectations and predictions, Botafogo beat PSG 1-0 at the Rose Bowl and achieved a memorable feat that will be remembered by several generations in Brazil.
Renato Paiva understood the technical inferiority of his squad and was instrumental in implementing a perfect strategy by using the 4-3-3 and nullifying PSG's numerical superiority at every possible opportunity. Marlon Freitas and Savarino bossed the midfield, while Alexander Barboza and Jair (sold to Nottingham Forest) made a huge impact in defense.
And when the opportunity arose to open the scoring, Botafogo didn't waste it and Igor Jesus was the scorer of the historic goal when he took the ball on the counter-attack and beat Pacho and Beraldo to shoot into the corner of goalkeeper Donnarumma's net during the first half, taking advantage of a rare opportunity in which the Parisian defense exposed itself.
Luis Enrique made four changes at the start of the second half, bringing in all the starters who had been rested during the first half, and left a very intense PSG side on the pitch, with the mission of looking for a comeback and the three points, while Botafogo had a well-defined strategy without the ball of staying in the 4-3-3 to close down the passing lines.
Nuno Mendes, Barcola and Kvaratskhelia dominated the attacking action throughout the final third and tried various ways to get forward, but the area was so tight that it ended up forcing more than 30 crosses from PSG, which was an unusual factor. And so Botafogo withstood the pressure and beat the reigning UEFA Champions League winners.
Botafogo breaks long-standing taboo for South American soccer
The last official victory for a South American team against Europeans was in 2012, when Chelsea fell to Corinthians in the final of the old Club World Cup format. As a result, Botafogo's result was a cause for huge celebration for all South American fans.