Messi, Inter Miami humiliated by PSG, crash out of FIFA Club World Cup | OneFootball

After exceeding expectations to advance from the group stage, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami were sent crashing back to earth in their 4-0 defeat to reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s second-round meeting in Atlanta.

João Neves scored twice in the first half, Miami defender Tomás Avilés turned the ball into his own net from a menacing PSG cross and Achraf Hakimi also broke through before the interval as the Parisians stormed to their entire advantage by halftime.

Miami looked better after the break against an opponent that clearly called off the dogs. But the most interesting second-half moment was probably the revelation that PSG manager Luis Enrique felt comfortable bringing on star man Ousmane Dembélé for the final half-hour of an already decided contest.

A surprising performance comes to an end

Miami earned a win over FC Porto and draws against Al-Ahly and Palmeiras in two group stage matches to reach the round of 16. But at times all three of those opponents made the mistake of not trying to push the tempo against a Herons side that has had issues with more athletic opponents in domestic play, including in hefty MLS defeats to Minnesota United and Orlando City in league play, and a 5-1 loss on aggregate to the Vancouver Whitecaps in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.

Enrique’s PSG made no such error, pressing high from the opening whistle, forcing several defensive lapses and turning Messi and former FC Barcelona attacking colleague Luis Suarez into virtual spectators for the opening 45 minutes.

By the second half, his side had clearly been given orders to slow the pace, be respectful of their overmatched hosts and save energy for a more competent quarterfinal opponent in the winner of Sunday’s second match between Bayern Munich and Flamengo.

The final score may have been narrower than PSG’s famous 5-0 triumph over Inter Milan in last month’s UEFA Champions League final. But the gap in competitiveness was clearly miles wider against a Miami team that was selected to play in the tournament as a “host” nation by FIFA based on its 2024 Supporters’ Shield triumph.

The question now for Miami manager Javier Mascherano is how to build momentum again in league play, where they currently sit sixth in the Eastern Conference -- albeit with three or four games in hand on the teams above them -- ahead of their 17th game of the competition next Saturday against CF Montreal.