PSG go from European glory to Club World Cup woe

MIAMI - European champions Paris Saint-Germain arrived at the Club World Cup aiming to be crowned kings of the global game but defeat by Botafogo on June 19 showed the tournament will be a true test of their mettle and not just a celebratory lap of honour.

The Ligue 1 winners went down 1-0 to Brazilian champions Botafogo at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, a result that threw Group B wide open and deflated the mood in the PSG camp after their emphatic 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in their opener.

Desire Doue, who scored twice in PSGs 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan in the Champions League final last month, said failing to take their chances had cost them.

“We weren’t efficient,” the attacking midfielder said.

“We had a lot of chances. They only had two or three shots and they scored. They were very efficient in front of our goal.”

Botafogos compact, aggressive approach exposed signs of fatigue in PSGs ranks after a long season in domestic and European football.

They had adjusted their schedule in California to allow players afternoons off to recover between training sessions.

Coach Luis Enrique also rotated his squad, starting without regulars Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, Fabian Ruiz and Marquinhos, who were introduced after half-time in search of a spark.

But even with the reinforcements PSG failed to break through a determined Botafogo defence. The decisive moment came in the 36th minute when Igor Jesus beat Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Luis Enrique did not look for excuses and praised the Copa Libertadores champions for their approach.

“Botafogo were the best defensive side we’ve come up against all season — both in our league and in the Champions League. They were excellent,” the Spaniard said.

“They were simply highly efficient, very compact, and always had the threat