Paris Saint-Germain powered past Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami with a commanding 4-0 victory on Sunday, sealing their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals. The European champions were simply too strong for Miami’s team of aging stars in the clash held at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Inter Miami, banking on Messi’s brilliance, had hoped to pull off a shock against his former club. But Luis Enrique’s side made light work of the MLS outfit, dismantling them with ease.
Joao Neves netted twice for PSG, with Achraf Hakimi also on the scoresheet and Tomas Aviles adding an own goal to Miami’s woes.
Neves opened the scoring inside six minutes, heading home unmarked at the back post from a Vitinha free-kick. Despite spirited resistance, Miami conceded three more before half-time in a devastating 10-minute burst. Busquets’ misstep led to Neves’ second, Aviles diverted a cross into his own net, and Hakimi pounced on a rebound to round out the first-half rout.
“It was important to play a serious game — now the competition has truly begun,” said PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, making his return from injury.
Messi, the star attraction for most of the 66,000 fans in attendance, struggled to make an impact as PSG dominated possession and territory. His frustration showed late in the first half, with a swipe at Vitinha in anger over Miami’s struggles.
In the second half, Messi produced a trademark lofted pass to set up Luis Suarez, but the Uruguayan couldn’t convert. The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner tested Gianluigi Donnarumma with a low shot and had a free-kick opportunity blocked, but a comeback was never on the cards.
Jordi Alba, reflecting on the loss, said: “We exceeded expectations by winning our group, but today we faced the best team in the world. We competed well in the second half, created chances, and caused them problems.”
PSG will meet either Bayern Munich or Flamengo in the quarter-finals on Saturday in Atlanta.
