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PSG Rests Marquinhos but Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in Squad

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)
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PSG Rests Marquinhos but Messi, Neymar and Mbappe in Squad

Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain's Brazilian forward Neymar (C) is congratulated by Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Hugo Ekitike (L) and Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe after scoring his team's first goal during the French L1 football match between FC Lorient and Paris Saint Germain (PSG) at Stade du Moustoir in Lorient, western France on November 6, 2022. (AFP)

Brazil defender Marquinhos has been rested for Paris Saint-Germain's final game before the World Cup in Qatar because of muscle discomfort.

French league leader PSG said Saturday that its captain Marquinhos, who is a key player in coach Tite’s Brazil team and has made 71 international appearances, would be left out of the side to face Auxerre on Sunday.

But Argentina star Lionel Messi, France striker Kylian Mbappe and Brazil's Neymar will be included in the PSG squad before flying out to Qatar.

Messi missed last weekend's game against Lorient because of inflammation on his Achilles tendon, with central defender Presnel Kimpembe rested for a similar problem. Mbappe also went off near the end with muscle fatigue.

Kimpembe, who has played only one hour of football since sustaining a hamstring injury on Sept. 18, is also in coach Christophe Galtier's squad for the Auxerre game.

Kimpembe then flies out to join his France teammates in Qatar.

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Neto, Fernandez Each Score to Lead Chelsea over LAFC 2-0 in Club World Cup 

Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
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Neto, Fernandez Each Score to Lead Chelsea over LAFC 2-0 in Club World Cup 

Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)
Enzo Fernandez (R) of Chelsea reacts with Liam Delap (L) of Chelsea after scoring the 2-0 goal against Los Angeles FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match between Chelsea FC and Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 16 June 2025. (EPA)

Pedro Neto scored in the first half and Enzo Fernandez in the 79th minute to give Chelsea a 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in Group D’s Club World Cup opener on Monday.

Chelsea put pressure on LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris early in the match. Neto scored in the 34th minute, picking up a pass from Nicolas Jackson and cutting onto his left foot for a near-post finish.

There were 22,137 fans in attendance at the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium, many of them backing LAFC. The Black and Gold had positive sparks of energy and possession throughout the first half, but struggled to find any real opportunities in front of goal.

LAFC almost got one back just before the 60-minute mark, but Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez came up with a save to keep Denis Bouanga off the scoresheet. The Black and Gold aimed to get some more experience onto the pitch at the half, bringing on former Chelsea man Olivier Giroud.

Giroud made a stir as he subbed on when he had to wait on the sidelines for a matchday shirt with his name and number. The mixup led to a delay at the start of the second half.

Coming in off the bench, Fernandez made no mistake finishing Liam Delap’s cross, adding an insurance goal for The Blues.

Chelsea’s day was made even more positive by the debut of Delap, a promising 22-year-old English striker signed from Ipswich Town.

While Chelsea is the favorite to top Group D, LAFC's next two matches become essential to moving on to the knock-out rounds. LAFC vs. Flamengo will prove to be an entertaining game, with the two sides most likely battling it out for the group's second spot.

"It’s a high level against a quality team. If you give them a moment, they’ll punish you. They had two chances, and they punished us," said Marky Delgado, LAFC midfielder.

"We know they’ve got amazing players and they’re a really good team, but we’ve got to play our football. No matter who we’re playing, we play our football really confident. ... You’ve got to pick your moments, and I think we’ve done that well today," said Levi Colwill, Chelsea defender.