Paris Saint-Germain beat Lionel Messi's Inter Miami to reach the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup

A first half that was a demonstration. A second, all about management. In Atlanta, in an air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a closed roof, the playing conditions seemed optimal for watching a football match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami on Sunday, June 29. In the end, there was no match: the Parisians thrashed their Floridian opponents in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup (4-0).

After a match in which they never doubted themselves, PSG continued their journey in the new competition of the International Football Federation (FIFA), and will play in the quarter-finals on Saturday, July 5. Luis Enrique's men will face Bayern Munich or the Brazilian club Flamengo, who will meet later in the evening of Sunday, June 29, at 10 p.m.

"We saw the difference between the two teams, " Miami coach Javier Mascherano said on DAZN. "I'm very proud of my players; they worked hard and tried to play. But we knew it would be tough today because [Paris is] probably the best team in the world."

From the opening minutes, Paris Saint-Germain asserted their status as recent European champions by monopolizing possession. This dominance was quickly cemented with Joao Neves' opening goal, with an unstoppable diving header ( ^6th ). Several followers of the capital club reported on Saturday that the Parisians had been working on their combinations from set pieces during the week, and the Portuguese midfielder – alone at the far post after receiving a free kick from his compatriot Vitinha – wasted no time in illustrating this new string to the Parisian bow.

"We started the match almost perfectly, we created a lot of chances. We were excellent in the first half ," Luis Enrique said on DAZN. "In the second half, we had less energy, it was different. But I'm happy." And there was reason to be, as his troops dominated the start of the match. Unable to get out of their own half in the face of intense pressure from the Asturian coach's players, Inter Miami didn't touch a single ball in the opposing area. Worse, the Florida franchise didn't attempt a single shot towards Gianluigi Donnarumma's goal during the first half.

On the other side, the Parisians continued to be dangerous. Joao Neves finished off a classy team move (39th ^minute ), scoring his first double in the Parisian jersey. As if that wasn't enough, young Argentinian defender Tomas Avilés, who came on in the ^19th minute, deflected the ball into his own net following a cross from Désiré Doué (44th ^minute ) before Achraf Hakimi put the nail in the coffin in added time of this first half ( ^45th + 3). And for the twentieth time since the start of the 2024-2025 season, PSG have scored at least four goals in a match.

Confident in their game, Paris put on a display, just like their previous clash against a team named Inter… in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. "We have so much confidence in ourselves, because we know we'll play our game regardless of the opponent. We're confident, happy, and right now, we're tired, but we'll recover better after this victory," Joao Neves emphasized on the broadcaster's microphone.

In the second half, Inter Miami returned to the pitch with better intentions, but the gap between the two teams was never bridged. Lionel Messi, often the initiator of his team's play, struggled to find support, and the Florida franchise was unable to create any danger. On the other side, PSG calmly managed their lead, the large lead allowing Luis Enrique to rest his key players for the rest of the competition. Ousmane Dembélé took advantage of the opportunity to return to the pitch after a left thigh injury sustained in early June. While the competition is still struggling to attract fans—both in the United States and internationally—for PSG, who qualified for the quarterfinals without a fight, all the lights are green.