Lionel Messi couldn’t do much against his former club.
After a disastrous first half, Messi and Inter Miami tried to mount a comeback. But against the might of PSG, their efforts fell short. The European champions cruised into the quarterfinals of the FIFA Club World Cup with a commanding win.
Luis Enrique’s side stormed to a 4–0 victory in the Round of 16 clash on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
All four goals came in a dominant first half. With Ousmane Dembélé starting on the bench, it was João Neves who stole the show, scoring twice. An own goal from Miami just before halftime and a clinical finish by Achraf Hakimi rounded off PSG’s scoring spree.
PSG went ahead in the 6th minute with their second attempt on target. Vitinha delivered a brilliant cross to the far post, and Neves nodded it in with a smart angled header.
In the 39th minute, another defensive lapse from Miami proved costly. PSG cut through with a slick passing move before Fabián Ruiz found Neves in space, and the Portuguese midfielder slotted in his second goal of the match.
That goal seemed to completely unravel Inter Miami, who conceded two more before the break.
In the 44th minute, a seemingly harmless cross from Désiré Doué into the box turned disastrous when Argentine defender Tomás accidentally deflected it into his own net. Then, in added time of the first half, Hakimi scored PSG’s fourth from close range.
PSG controlled the entire first half, registering 10 shots with six on target. Miami, meanwhile, struggled to maintain possession and were thoroughly dominated.
Their defensive weaknesses were repeatedly exposed. The star attacking duo of Messi and Luis Suárez barely made an impact. Neither managed a single shot on target in the first half.
After the break, Messi looked determined to spark a comeback. In the 51st minute, he attempted Miami’s first shot of the match, which was blocked by a defender.
Miami followed up with two more attempts, but none troubled PSG. The French side maintained control, continuing their attacking play and enjoying the lion’s share of possession.
Still, to their credit, the MLS side put up a more organized performance in the second half and prevented further damage to the scoreline.
In the quarterfinals, PSG will face the winner of the Bayern Munich vs Flamengo match.
