Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami side were eliminated from the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following their historic performances in their debut competition, which saw them reach the knockout stage.
Inter suffered a 4-0 thumping at the hands of reigning European champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
PSG dominated the first half completely, opening the scoring just six minutes into the match through Joao Neves, who doubled the lead in the 39th minute. Tomas Aviles then scored an own goal to make it three for the French giants.
Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi added the cherry on top with the fourth goal at the stroke of halftime.
In the second half, Inter looked much more organized, with Messi showing flashes of his enduring brilliance, but they were unlucky not to find the back of the net as the match ended 4-0.
Speaking after the match, Messi said in an Instagram post: “Today the Club World Cup ends for us with a defeat against the current champion of the Champions, where there are people I appreciate and gave me joy to see again. We leave with pride to have achieved the goal of making it to the top 16 of the tournament. Now to focus on the MLS and all that is coming.”
PSG will face Bayern Munich, who eliminated Brazil’s Flamengo with a 4-2 victory on Sunday. The two sides will meet this Saturday for a place in the semifinals.
Other teams that have already advanced to the quarterfinals include Chelsea, who dumped out Benfica with a 4-1 win, and Palmeiras, who defeated Botafogo RJ.
Chelsea and Palmeiras will also clash this Saturday.
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