Credited from: LEMONDE
Paris Saint-Germain achieved a commanding 4-0 victory against Inter Miami in the last 16 of the Club World Cup on Sunday, with Joao Neves netting two goals at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The French champions took the lead early, with Neves scoring from a header following a free kick just six minutes into the match, demonstrating their offensive prowess from the outset. This performance highlighted their superiority over Messi and his team, with PSG dominating possession throughout the game, leaving Miami with little opportunity to respond, according to Channel News Asia, Al Jazeera, and Le Monde.
After Neves doubled the lead in the 39th minute, PSG's advantage widened just before halftime with an own goal from Tomas Aviles, compounded by Achraf Hakimi’s goal, making it 4-0 as the teams headed for the break. Aviles turned an attempt away from a cross into his own net, illustrating Inter Miami's mounting misfortunes during the match. This string of scoring within a short time span emphasized PSG's offensive capabilities, as noted by India Times and Reuters.
Although Messi and his teammates struggled against the intensity of PSG, Messi did manage to take the first shot for Miami in the second half, showcasing his determination. He also set up chances for Luis Suárez, but Miami could not find the net, with their best attempts being thwarted by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The match was characterized by a visible gap in quality between the two teams, which was acknowledged by Miami coach Javier Mascherano, who stated that playing against such a high-caliber team was a valuable experience, according to Channel News Asia and Reuters.
With this decisive win, PSG has set up a quarter-final clash against either Bayern Munich or Flamengo, showing their intent to vie for the title. PSG's performance reinforced their position as strong contenders in the tournament, further emphasizing the gap between top European teams and their competition, as discussed in Le Monde, Al Jazeera, and India Times.