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CLUB WORLD CUP

Palmeiras salvage draw with Inter Miami as both advance to Club World Cup last 16

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Palmeiras' Vitor Roque in action with Inter Miami CF's Sergio Busquets IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Sam Navarro

Palmeiras rallied from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami and qualify top of Group A for the Club World Cup last 16 on Monday, a result that sent both teams through to the knockout phase.

Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez gave Miami a two-goal lead before Paulinho and Mauricio scored in the last 10 minutes to get Palmeiras back on level terms.

Both teams finished on five points with Inter Miami second on goal difference, while Al-Ahly and Porto were both eliminated after drawing 4-4.

Lionel Messi’s side will take on European champions Paris St Germain, where the Argentine spent two seasons from 2021-23, while Palmeiras face fierce rivals Botafogo in an all-Brazilian clash for a place in the quarter-finals.

“It was a great game from us, it’s difficult to play against one of the best teams in South America,” said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, who described it as a “historic night” for Major League Soccer.

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“Maybe at the end we had the game in our hands so the feeling is strange but before the start of the tournament if someone told me we were going to have this kind of performance against these kind of teams I would have signed it.”

Inter Miami are the only team from MLS to reach the last 16 after both Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders were eliminated.

With the crowd heavily favouring Palmeiras and creating an atmosphere that made it seem like an away game for hosts Miami, the Brazilian side started with intensity, pressing high up the pitch but despite their energy the final ball lacked precision.

Miami struck in the 16th minute when Allende surged past a static Palmeiras defence and coolly slotted home after a 40-metre run.

Allende came close again early in the second half, flashing a shot narrowly wide after another quick counterattack, before Messi brought fans to their feet with a dipping volley from distance that sailed just over.

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Suarez, quiet for much of the game, made no mistake in the 65th minute as he cut onto his left foot and fired into the top corner from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Palmeiras pulled one back 10 minutes from time through substitute Paulinho, who guided a low finish into the corner.

Seven minutes later Mauricio picked up a loose clearance and fired home from the penalty spot to make sure Palmeiras would keep top spot in the group.

-Reuters

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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CLUB WORLD CUP

Trophygate: Chelsea gets ‘fake’  trophy as Trump Keeps Original Club World Cup trophy

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Trump laughs as Chelsea captain lifts the replica Club World Cup trophy while the president keeps the original.

Controversy has erupted following Chelsea’s dramatic victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, with reports suggesting that the trophy presented to the English club is a replica – and that the original remains in the possession of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Blues clinched the inaugural edition of the revamped tournament at the MetLife Stadium on Sunday, July 13, with captain Reece James receiving the silverware from Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

However, social media and the international press have been ablaze with claims that the trophy lifted during the celebrations was not the authentic one.

Videos from the post-match ceremony showed Trump lingering on the podium well after the presentation, standing beside James as he hoisted the trophy. This unusual move immediately drew attention.

Now, the intrigue has deepened following Trump’s own remarks in an interview with sports broadcaster DAZN, in which he admitted that the original trophy was currently “in his office at the White House.”

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According to sources, Infantino unveiled the redesigned Club World Cup trophy at the White House shortly after Trump returned to office earlier this year, following his election win over Kamala Harris.

 It now appears that the original trophy never left the presidential residence, prompting FIFA to commission a replica for the ceremony in New Jersey.

Adding fuel to the fire, Trump was also seen pocketing one of the winner’s medals during the event.

 Infantino had handed him a medal, presumably for inspection, but the U.S. President was later spotted slipping it inside his blazer.

This led to online jokes among fans, with some suggesting he had taken the medal intended for Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, who left the squad just before the final to complete a surprise move to Arsenal.

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Madueke was reportedly seen partying with Jadon Sancho at the Wireless Festival in London while Chelsea celebrated across the Atlantic.

The incident has cast an odd shadow over what was otherwise a historic moment for Chelsea, marking their first triumph under the new Club World Cup format.

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the final returning to MetLife Stadium, questions may linger over the relationship between football’s global leadership and its most controversial political host.

FIFA has yet to comment officially on the trophy replica claims.

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CLUB WORLD CUP

Trump pays homage to Pele, met with boos, cheers from Club World Cup crowd

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U.S. President Donald Trump presents Chelsea's Cole Palmer with the golden ball trophy next to FIFA president Gianni Infantino after Chelsea won against Paris St Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup final, at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S., July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/Pool

U.S. President Donald Trump paid homage to soccer great Pele after being met with boos and cheers from the crowd at the Club World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Chelsea walloped Paris St Germain 3-0 to close out the newly expanded version of the tournament, designed as a glittering curtain-raiser for the 2026 World Cup that the U.S. will co-host with Mexico and Canada.

Trump was seated next to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino in box seats at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where fans booed him when he appeared briefly on the jumbotron during the U.S. national anthem.

He was on his feet in the same VIP suite after Chelsea completed their thrashing of Paris St Germain, pumping his fist as congratulatory music blared.

Trump was met with boos from the crowd again as he posed with the match referees on the pitch during the trophy ceremony, as organisers kept the music pumping in the stadium.

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He handed Chelsea their trophy and stood in the middle of the players for their team photo and celebration.

“I knew he was going to be there but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy so I was a bit confused,” said Chelsea midfielder Cole Palmer, who scored two goals during the match.

Asked in a TV interview who he believed was soccer’s “GOAT,” Trump named Brazilian icon Pele, who helped spark interest in the sport in the U.S. in his brief time playing for the New York Cosmos in the fledgling North American Soccer League in 1975.

“I came to watch Pele, and he was fantastic,” Trump told broadcaster DAZN. “That’s like saying Babe Ruth, but I would say Pele was so great.”

Trump has embraced sport’s super-sized spotlight during his second term, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl in February.

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In May, he announced D.C. as the host for the 2027 NFL Draft from the Oval Office. He regularly attends UFC and has said he wants to host such fights at the White House next year.

FIFA announced last week that it had opened an office in New York’s Trump Tower ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the U.S. will co-host with Canada and Mexico. A record 48 national teams are set to take part.

Trump’s appearance at MetLife came a day after he threatened to impose a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the European Union, an escalation of a trade war that has angered U.S. allies and rattled investors.

-Reuters

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CLUB WORLD CUP

Palmer double fires Chelsea past PSG to Club World Cup glory

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 FIFA Club World Cup - Final - Chelsea v Paris St Germain - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. - July 13, 2025 Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Tosin Adarabioyo celebrate winning the FIFA Club World Cup REUTERS/Lee Smith

Cole Palmer produced a scintillating first-half masterclass as Chelsea demolished Paris St Germain 3-0 to win the Club World Cup final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

The English attacking midfielder scored twice and provided an assist for Joao Pedro in a devastating display in the revamped tournament’s decider that left the European and French champions, who finished with 10 men, shell-shocked before the break.

Chelsea struck first in the 22nd minute when PSG fullback Nuno Mendes gifted possession to Malo Gusto. While his initial effort was blocked by Mendes, Gusto collected the rebound and found Palmer unmarked in the middle and the midfielder made no mistake, slotting a tidy finish just inside the left post.

Palmer doubled the lead after the 30th-minute cooling break with a goal of sublime quality. Latching onto a precise through ball from Levi Colwill, he cut inside before faking a pass to dummy a defender and firing into the bottom-left corner.

Palmer then turned provider, running up the channel before finding Joao Pedro, who took the ball in his stride and beat the offside trap before chipping his finish beautifully over keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

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PSG’s misery was completed when Joao Neves was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair in the 83rd minute.

-Reuters

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