Botafogo’s owner, John Textor, didn’t care about the rolling TV cameras; he needed to kiss head coach Renato Pavia after one of the most defining nights in recent soccer history.
On Thursday night, the reigning Copa Libertadores champions from Brazil toppled the UEFA Champions League-winning Paris Saint-Germain 1–0, in the most shocking result of the FIFA Club World Cup so far.
And although they won the match by the slimmest of margins, they executed their plan perfectly, outmaneuvering PSG’s setup with their 4-5-1 formation, pushed on by wide threats that helped them generate four shots on target, despite holding only 25 percent possession.
Igor Jesus scored the goal in the 36th minute, beating PSG centre-backs Willian Pacho and Lucas Beraldo before getting a deflected shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Botafogo planned perfectly and executed better, sending the travelling Brazilian support, who have been the lifeblood of a mildly attended tournament, into ecstasy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
"Being a great team, playing together, all the guys defending, all the guys attacking, and that's the big secret of this PSG team, that's why they compete and win," Pavia said after the match.
"They are a fantastic team. I said this, PSG are a lesson to everybody nowadays in football. And I told my guys, just be a team, enjoy playing together, attack together, defend together, and enjoy. And they did they did it. Fantastic."
Yet, as much as the win reigns over other results in the tournament, beating the European champions is no new feat for Brazilian clubs. In 2012, Corinthians defeated Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup Final, which at the time included just eight teams.
Over a decade later, though, the win matters so much more, especially considering PSG’s dominant victory in the Champions League final, 5–0 over Inter, and that it came on the anniversary of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup win, which also happened at the Rose Bowl.
"That's all about Brazil. Brazil can play football. Young people like this [pointing to Vitinho] go there, play at another level, learn to play in other ways,” Textor said. “But just like the Europeans, we also have structure, organization. Brazil can also play football. I hope every Brazilian is proud of Botafogo today.”
