Paris Saint-Germain PSG cruised into the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday with a dominant 4-0 victory over Lionel Messi's Inter Miami, ruthlessly exposing the gulf in quality between the European champions and the MLS side.
Despite hopes that Messi might inspire an upset against his former club, Luis Enrique's side overwhelmed Inter Miami in Atlanta, showing no mercy to a team packed with former stars now past their prime.
Joo Neves struck twice for PSG, while Achraf Hakimi added a fourth following a Tomas Aviles own goal in a blistering first-half performance. Though Messi and fellow ex-Barcelona teammates Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba had steered Miami to the last 16, they were outclassed over 90 minutes.
We had to play a serious game. The competition is starting, and I think we played well, PSG winger Ousmane Dembele said after making his return from injury.
Attracting a 66,000-strong crowd largely clad in Inter Miami pink or Argentina shirts, the match was billed as a showcase for Messi. But it quickly became clear the spotlight would belong to PSG's midfield dominance and attacking verve.