Botafogo have sacked manager Renato Paiva following their Club World Cup exit, the Brazilian club said, despite his side beating Champions League winners Paris St Germain earlier in the competition.

Paiva’s team went out at the last 16 stage with a 1-0 loss after extra-time to fellow-Brazilian club Palmeiras, and the manager has paid the price after just four months in charge.

Botafogo grabbed the spotlight at the Club World Cup when they beat PSG 1-0 in the group stage, having earlier defeated Seattle Sounders, and they advanced as Group B runners-up despite a 1-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid.

“The Club thanks Paiva and his assistants for their services to Botafogo over the last few months,” a club statement on social media said.

“Particularly for the historic victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup and the qualification for the round of 16 of the (Copa) Libertadores and Copa do Brasil.”

-Reuters

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Joao Neves scored twice as Paris St Germain swept aside Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday to secure their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals with ruthless efficiency.

The French side asserted their dominance within six minutes, with Neves moving unmarked to the far post to power home a precise header from a free kick.

Neves doubled their lead in the 39th minute after a flowing move as Bradley Barcola found Fabian Ruiz, whose exquisite cross was clinically converted by the Portuguese.

Any hopes of a Miami comeback were extinguished in the first half as Messi and company barely got a look in, and their misery deepened further when Tomas Aviles turned Desire Doue’s cross into his own net.

Achraf Hakimi added the fourth, pouncing after his initial shot struck the crossbar, on the stroke of halftime.

“It was an almost perfect match, we created a lot of chances, and I’m happy yet I think we still need to improve, that’s football,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

Messi became more involved after the break and his header was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma following a quick counter-attack, while he struck the wall with a late free kick that brought the crowd to their feet in anticipation of a consolation goal that never materialised.

“I’m very proud of my players. Today you could see the difference in class, but football has given us the chance to compete. This is probably the best team in the world with a great coach, but we took them on,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said.

The Champions League winners march on to the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the clash between Flamengo and Bayern Munich.

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Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich tamed Flamengo 4-2 in a tense affair at the Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday to set up a much-anticipated all-European quarter-final against Paris St Germain at the Club World Cup.

Erick Pulgar’s own goal opened the scoring for Bayern and Leon Goretzka was also on target for the German side, while Flamengo, who were defensively naive, twice reduced the deficit through Gerson and Jorginho.

Backed by a raucous crowd, Flamengo played with aggression but Bayern converted all their shots on target and reaped the rewards of a fast start, scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes.

“It was tough. We were playing against a really good side in difficult conditions, it was really hot,” Kane said.

“I thought we played well for large spells but every time we got away they clawed their way back and made it difficult. The fourth goal was important to ease the nerves and from there we managed it well.”

Earlier on Sunday, Champions League winners PSG sent a brutal reminder of their firepower when they cruised past Inter Miami 4-0, taking their foot off the pedal after the break in what could have turned into a humiliation for Lionel Messi’s MLS team.

Bayern got off to a flying start, opening the scoring in the sixth minute when Pulgar deflected a corner kick into his own net.

Three minutes later, Kane doubled the advantage with a low shot that went in off the post.

Flamengo got into something of a groove and went close in the 15th minute, only for Manuel Neuer to save Luiz Araujo’s effort from point-blank range.

Shortly after the cooling break, the Brazilian side pulled one back as Gerson fired a missile that went in off the underside of the bar, triggering a deafening roar from the crowd.

Bayern, however, restored their two-goal lead before the interval when Goretzka, capitalising on the space left by the Flamengo defence, whipped a shot from outside the box past keeper Agustin Rossi.

Tempers flared after a poor challenge by Pulgar on Kane as Flamengo struggled to contain their frustration

Filipe Luis’s side pulled one back again 10 minutes into the second half, Jorginho sending Neuer the wrong way after they were awarded a penalty for a Michael Olise handball.

The momentum had swung and Flamengo threatened with quick breaks, but Bayern held firm before finding the back of the net once more through Kane, who beat Rossi with another clinical low shot in the 73rd minute.

-Reuters

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