ATLANTA — Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) easily eliminated Inter Miami and old friend Lionel Messi from the FIFA Club World Cup, outclassing the Herons 4-0 in the Round of 16 on Sunday.
Joao Neves potted two goals before a Miami own goal and a strike by Achraf Hakimi bloated the margin to four by halftime. The European champions will face the winner between Bayern Munich and Flamengo in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
Oscar Ustari recorded six saves for Inter Miami, while PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma had to make just three after Miami was held without a shot attempt for the first 50 minutes. PSG finished with a 19-7 shots advantage and about two-thirds of the possession.
“I am of course very satisfied with my players’ game,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique. “I think we started the game in the best way, with the intensity we needed. I think the second (half) was a little different, because the score conditioned it. They are very high-quality players. In the end, we are in the quarterfinals and we are happy.”
Enrique said his team would watch the Bayern-Flamengo match happening later on Sunday.
“At this level of competition, it will be difficult regardless of the opponent,” Enrique said. “It’s time to think about resting, we have to prepare well for the game, but we have the necessary time.”
This was Messi’s first time facing PSG since leaving the club and coming to America two years ago. His match-winner against FC Porto in the group stage stood as his lone goal of the tournament.
Less than five minutes into Sunday’s match, Desire Doue won PSG a free kick just outside the penalty area. Vitinha took the kick and connected with Neves, who headed it on the run across Ustari’s body and into the net.
Miami defender Noah Allen took a tumble and subbed out due to injury in the 19th minute. His replacement, Tomas Aviles, immediately earned a yellow card by tripping Nuno Mendes.
PSG continued to control play until Neves doubled the advantage in the 39th minute. Fabian Ruiz dispossessed Sergio Busquets, and a quick passing sequence freed up Neves for an open shot from the center of the box.
Aviles’ unfortunate match continued when he accidentally chested a PSG cross over his own goal line in the 44th minute.
Moments later, PSG’s Bradley Barcola made a perfect run to receive a pass deep in the box, and he passed it back to Hakimi. His first shot ricocheted off Ustari’s head and the crossbar, but Hakimi scored his own rebound for a 4-0 advantage.
After a quiet first half, Messi was credited with Miami’s first shot attempt in the 51st minute when he had a left-footer deflected over the net.
Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez joined Messi in leading Miami’s efforts throughout the second half, but they never broke through. Messi tried a header in the 80th minute that was parried by Donnarumma. His free kick in the 89th hit the wall in front of him.
Miami was the only Major League Soccer club to advance to the knockout stage after Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders were eliminated from their respective groups.
“The most important thing is that we were working hard, we were playing well during this tournament,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said in a TV interview after the match. “We knew that today was going to be very, very difficult because they are probably the best team in the world.” — Reuters
