Paris Saint-Germain delivered a ruthless performance to dispatch Inter Miami 4-0 in the Club World Cup round of 16, with all goals coming in a devastating first-half blitz.
The clash – billed as Lionel Messi’s reunion with his former club – turned into a nightmare for the Argentine legend, whose efforts to inspire a comeback fell flat against the European giants.
From the opening whistle, PSG were dominant. A sixth-minute header from Joao Neves set the tone, capitalising on poor Miami marking.
Fabian Ruiz had a second ruled out for offside before Neves struck again in the 39th minute, finishing a flowing move involving Barcola and Fabian.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for Inter Miami. A Tomas Aviles own goal and Achraf Hakimi’s rebound finish in stoppage time saw PSG head into the break 4-0 up – and having registered more goals than Miami had completed final third passes (4 vs 3).
The second half saw PSG ease off, turning the game into more of an exhibition. Messi, desperate to salvage pride, registered four shots and made 17 final-third passes – both team highs – but couldn’t breach Gianluigi Donnarumma’s goal.
His best chance, a well-placed header in the 80th minute, was clawed away in spectacular fashion.
Statistically, the gulf in class was stark. Miami failed to register a single shot in the first half and managed only minor threats in the second, as their six-match unbeaten run came to a crushing halt.
For Messi, Suarez, Busquets, and coach Mascherano – once part of Barcelona’s historic 6-1 comeback over PSG – the tables were brutally turned.
PSG now advance to the quarter-finals, having scored an astonishing 111 goals in 39 matches this year.
