Dominant: PSG cruised to victory over Inter Miami
To the surprise of many, the Herons qualified for the last-16 despite being paired with Al Ahly, Porto and Palmeiras. However, letting a two-goal lead slip in the final group game against the Brazilian outfit ultimately proved costly.
Facing the best team in Europe proved to be a step too far for Lionel Messi and company as they bow out of the competition on the back of a heavy defeat.
Even by the time Joao Neves had broken the deadlock after just six minutes, Oscar Ustari was forced into action as he made a fine save to keep out Bradley Barcola’s effort.
But the experienced goalkeeper could do nothing about the goal as the Portuguese midfielder was left unmarked at the back post and he headed home Vitinha’s free-kick to give PSG a dream start.
Inter Miami, somehow, escaped further punishment with half-time in sight but a devastating five-minute spell effectively ended the game as a contest.
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Neves added his second with a simple tap-in, Tomas Aviles turned the ball into his own net and then Achraf Hakimi got in the act after seeing his initial effort come back off the crossbar.
A combination of PSG dropping their level and the MLS side growing into the game made the second half a more even affair. Messi almost produced the assist of the tournament but Suarez, for once, wasn’t on same wavelength as his good friend.
Luis Enrique was able to give minutes to Ousmane Dembele on his return from injury and also experiment tactically in the knowledge that the Ligue 1 giants were never in danger of letting a commanding lead slip - even if Messi did his best to grab a consolation against his former club.
PSG will be back in Atlanta next Saturday to face either Flamengo or Bayern Munich for a place in the Club World Cup semi-final.