PSG Humiliates Messi's Inter Miami

PSG demonstrated why they are the Champions League winners and the main contenders for the Club World Cup after scoring four goals against Leo Messi's Inter Miami. On the field, there was only one team, especially in the first half, where the Parisians scored a quartet of goals, and Luis Enrique showed no mercy, aiming to settle the match quickly. PSG took advantage of a team of veteran players who might be facing their last major international tournament.

With the score under control, Luis Enrique brought on Ousmane Dembélé, a Ballon d'Or contender, to give him his first minutes in this competition. PSG is playing at a high level, and now that they have regained their standout player, it will be interesting to see the impact on the team.

One should not underestimate Messi's team, which has progressed further in this tournament than expected, having eliminated Porto. However, on Sunday, they failed to leave a good impression, showing defensive passivity and being ineffective in attack, managing only three timid shots on target without any threat in the 90 minutes. The project of combining veteran players with young talents makes Inter Miami an intriguing team, but not one capable of excelling in tournaments of this calibre.

The American team had no luck in Atlanta. Messi had a free-kick similar to the one he scored against Porto, but this time it hit the wall. The Parisian pressure overwhelmed Inter Miami, who faced a team with a champion's spirit.

PSG came out aggressively from the start and took just six minutes to take the lead. Vitinha delivered a free-kick to his Portuguese compatriot Joao Neves, who calmly headed the ball into the net. Inter Miami struggled to react and barely left their half. Jordi Alba and Marcelo Weigandt had a tough afternoon due to Desiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian was particularly lively in the opening minutes, breaking lines with ease.

Not even a veteran like Sergio Busquets could withstand the pressure from Bradley Barcola, who, after a recovery, connected with Fabián Ruiz to gift Joao Neves his second goal. Nothing went right for Inter Miami in the first half, and Tomás Avilés, who came on for the injured Allen, had the misfortune of deflecting a cross into his own net. Before the break, Achraf Hakimi played a one-two with the crossbar and scored the fourth goal on his second attempt, sending the Parisians into the dressing room with a comfortable lead.

In the second half, both teams lowered their intensity as the match was already decided. The only notable event was the appearance of Dembélé after a month. Curiously, Luis Enrique chose to rest more defensive players and ended up playing with four forwards despite the scoreline. Neither team created much danger, although the fifth goal seemed closer than the first. Thus, Messi bid farewell to one of his last international tournaments.