Paris Saint-Germain crushed Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon, ending their FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
The Herons went undefeated in Group A, and they performed incredibly well to advance from their group. They were rewarded with a last-16 matchup against PSG, the European champions, for placing second in their group.
As goals from Joao Neves (2), Tomas Aviles (own goal), and Achraf Hakimi gave PSG a four-goal advantage at halftime, the French team proved to be too strong for them. After the break, Inter Miami had significantly improved, but they were unable to overcome Gianluigi Donnarumma, and PSG won 4-0.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic Gives His Honest Take on Lionel Messi’s Performance
His comments have gone viral
Messi put up a strong performance against his old team, regardless of the score. The 38-year-old Argentine was by far Inter Miami’s most dangerous player and a continual pain in PSG’s side. Here are some of his highlights:
Both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the French media were impressed with Messi’s performance. The Swede, who played with Messi for a season at Barcelona, had nothing but praise for his old teammate.
Zlatan observed that Messi ‘didn’t lose’ and that his teammates disappointed him. The renowned striker added that he thought Messi could still “set the stadium on fire” if he were a member of a “real team.” According to FootMercato, he stated:
“Inter Miami lost, not Leo Messi! Instead of teammates, Messi is playing with statues. Players are running around him like they’re holding cement bags!
“You would see the genuine lion if he were a member of any major team. Because he can still achieve things that 99 percent of players cannot, Messi just plays because he loves the game! No players know how to move without the ball, and there are no coaches or celebrities! I don’t know this Messi; even if he were on a legitimate squad, he would still burn down the arena!
Javier Mascherano, the manager of Inter Miami, also gave his countryman appreciation. “I think Leo played a great game with the few opportunities we had,” he told DAZN, according to BeIN Sports. In the second half, we counterattacked a lot more. I consider it an honor to train [Messi] at the age of 38. But even for Messi, it’s difficult to defeat a PSG at this level.”
Messi and Inter Miami will now return their attention to their home season. On July 5, they will go to Canada to play CF Montréal, the worst team in the MLS Eastern Conference.
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