South teams go north

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola lauded the performances of South American teams at the ongoing Club World Cup and claimed he is not surprised by the levels they have shown.

The opening week of the 32-team tournament held in the USA has seen plenty of shocking results, not least UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain losing to Brazil’s Botafogo. 

Pep Guardiola

“I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them,” said Guardiola. 

“I’m pretty sure for the South American teams this competition is maybe the maximum. I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised that European teams lose. Welcome to the real world,” added Guardiola.

Apart from Botafogo’s triumph, three other Brazilian sides produced unlikely results: Flamengo thrashed Chelsea 3-1, Fluminense, earned a creditable goalless draw against Borussia Dortmund, and Palmeiras produced the same result against former Champions League winners Porto.

Some of the reasons attributed to the under-performance of European clubs include the stifling heat that players are not used to playing in. Others suggest that the South American and North American clubs are in better rhythm with their players much fresher as they are midway through their domestic seasons, unlike European clubs, for whom this tournament comes at the end of the calendar. 

Some giant-killing here!  
. Botafogo 1-0 PSG
. Flamengo 3-1 Chelsea
. Al Hilal 1-1 Real Madrid
. Fluminense 0-0 Dortmund
. Monterrey 1-1 Inter Milan
. Inter Miami 2-1 Porto
. Boca Juniors 2-2 Benfica
. Palmeiras 0-0 Porto

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