Lionel Messi and Inter Miami's FIFA Club World Cup campaign came to an end on Sunday afternoon as they were thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Herons did extremely well to qualify from their group as they went unbeaten in Group A. Their reward for finishing second in their group was a last 16 tie against European champions, PSG.
The French side proved to be far too good for them as goals from Joao Neves (2), Tomas Aviles (own-goal) and Achraf Hakimi gave PSG a four-goal lead at half-time. Inter Miami were much improved after the break but they were unable to find a way past Gianluigi Donnarumma as PSG emerged 4-0 victors.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Gives His Honest Take on Lionel Messi's Performance
His comments have gone viral
Zlatan Ibrahimovic-1
Despite the scoreline, Messi put in an impressive display against his former side. The Argentine, now 38 years old, was a constant thorn in PSG's side and was Inter Miami's most dangerous player by far. View his highlights below:
French media were impressed with Messi's performance and so was Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede, who played alongside Messi at Barcelona for one season, was very complimentary of his former teammate.
Zlatan noted how Messi 'didn't lose' and that he was let down by his teammates. The legendary striker also stated his belief that Messi can still 'set the stadium on fire' if he played for a 'real team'. He said, per FootMercato:
"Leo Messi didn’t lose, Inter Miami did! Messi is playing with statues, not teammates. He’s surrounded by players who run as if they’re carrying bags of cement!
"If he were in a real team, in any big team, you’d see the real lion. Messi plays only because he loves the game, because he can still do what 99% of players cannot! There are no coaches, no stars, not even players who understand how to move without the ball! This is not the Messi I know, if you put him in a real team, he’ll still set the stadium on fire!”
Inter Miami boss Javier Mascherano also praised his compatriot. He told DAZN, per BeIN Sports: "I think Leo played a great game with the few opportunities we had. We played a lot more on the counter-attack in the second half. I think that today, at 38 years old, it's an honour to coach [Messi]. But against a PSG at this level, even for a Messi, it's complicated."
Lionel Messi vs PSG
Messi and Inter Miami's focus now turns back to their domestic campaign. They are next in action on July 5 when they travel to Canada to take on the bottom side in the MLS Eastern Conference, CF Montréal.
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