'Almost perfect' PSG rout Messi's Miami
Joao Neves scored twice as Paris St Germain swept aside Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 4-0 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday to secure their place in the Club World Cup quarter-finals with ruthless efficiency.
The French side asserted their dominance within six minutes, with Neves moving unmarked to the far post to power home a precise header from a free kick.
Neves doubled their lead in the 39th minute after a flowing move as Bradley Barcola found Fabian Ruiz, whose exquisite cross was clinically converted by the Portuguese.
Any hopes of a Miami comeback were extinguished in the first half as Messi and company barely got a look in, and their misery deepened further when Tomas Aviles turned Desire Doue's cross into his own net.
Achraf Hakimi added the fourth, pouncing after his initial shot struck the crossbar, on the stroke of halftime.
"It was an almost perfect match, we created a lot of chances, and I'm happy yet I think we still need to improve, that's football," PSG coach Luis Enrique said.
Messi became more involved after the break and his header was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma following a quick counter-attack, while he struck the wall with a late free kick that brought the crowd to their feet in anticipation of a consolation goal that never materialised.
"I'm very proud of my players. Today you could see the difference in class, but football has given us the chance to compete. This is probably the best team in the world with a great coach, but we took them on," Miami coach Javier Mascherano said.
"There's a huge lesson to be learned from here. We're going to be reviewing all of this and I think that they go hand in hand now if we are going to be able to take stock of this experience.
"I think that this is going to help us when we take this to our National League. It goes without saying that it depends on our own personal intelligence that we have at our disposal as a team to be able to leverage this experience.
The Champions League winners march on to the quarter-finals, where they will face the winners of the clash between Flamengo and Bayern Munich.
Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
19 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Club World Cup team SACKS manager despite historic win as former Prem co-owner looks for new boss
BOTAFOGO have sacked manager Renato Paiva just 48 hours after being eliminated from the Club World Cup. The Brazilian side were knocked out of the tournament in the last 16 by Palmeiras. 3 Renato Paiva has been sacked by Botafogo Credit: Getty 3 Botafogo were knocked out of the Club World Cup by Palmeiras Credit: Getty 3 They had beaten PSG in the group stages Credit: Reuters Paulinho scored the decisive goal in the 100th minute as the match finished 0-0 after 90 minutes. As a result, Botagofo have called time on Paiva's time in charge of the club. The decision by owner and former Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor was confirmed with a statement on social media on Sunday night. It read: "Botafogo announces that Renato Paiva is no longer the head coach of the first team. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL "The decision was communicated to the professional on Sunday night (29). "The club thanks Paiva and his assistants for their services rendered to the Glorioso in recent months - with special mention to the historic victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup, and the qualification for the round of 16 in the Libertadores and Copa do Brasil. "John Textor and the Football Department board are in the market searching for a new coach for the challenge of continuing on the path to titles, aiming for the bicampeonatos of the Libertadores and the Brasileiro, and the unprecedented Copa do Brasil title." Most read in Football Botafogo had qualified for the knockout rounds of the tournament after finishing second in Group B. The club famously beat Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain as well as the Seattle Sounders. This meant that the finished above LaLiga giants Atletico Madrid to make it through. More to follow... THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video . Like us on Facebook at
RTÉ News
23 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Guardiola unsure how Club World Cup will affect league campaign
Pep Guardiola concedes he does not know if Manchester City's next Premier League challenge will be "destroyed" by their Club World Cup campaign or not. England manager Thomas Tuchel recently said the involvement of City and Chelsea in this summer's tournament in the United States would hand the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal a "huge advantage" in the title race. Former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has also described the event as "the worst idea ever implemented in football" because of concerns over player welfare. Guardiola, however, insists City - who face Al-Hilal in a last-16 tie in Orlando at 2am on Tuesday morning - are focused on rediscovering their best after a frustrating 2024-25 season and claiming the prize. The City manager said: "I try to relax, enjoy the days here and the good vibes that we have, the competition and we try to win it. "The most important thing is to recover and find within ourselves what we were. That's my main target in this tournament. "I want them to feel that this is our path again to be competitive like we have been in eight of the last nine years. "After this, let's see what happens. Let's see what happens after the final. We will rest for the time the Premier League allow us. "Maybe in November, December or January it will be a disaster, we are exhausted and the World Cup has destroyed us. "I don't know, it's the first time in our lives that this has happened. We will see when we come back."Guardiola says he can understand the viewpoint of his old rival Klopp, now head of global soccer for Red Bull, who had a team involved in the tournament in Salzburg. Yet he suggested people complaining might be jealous. Speaking at a press conference, Guardiola said: "I fought a lot with Jurgen many, many times. I know where his idea comes from. "I respect him, I would defend his argument as well. At the same time, as managers, we are in a job. We don't organise the competitions. "Once we are here, we are proud. Many, many teams complain about these competitions because they are not here, otherwise they might love being here." Weather problems have been a recurring issue in the tournament both in terms of intense heat and thunderstorms. Chelsea's last-16 victory over Benfica on Saturday was suspended for almost two hours due to lightning in the vicinity. Guardiola said: "I am an extraordinary manager but to control lightning and thunder, still I am not good enough! "If it is (suspended) here the same reason as why they suspend the other one, I will go inside and we will continue to be active and play again. "It is not the ideal situation but I grew up to understand not to be worried about the situations that I can't control. So no problem."
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Tomos Williams Lions tour is over, Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park make first start
The British & Irish Lions have confirmed Welsh scrumhalf Tomos Williams suffered a tour-ending hamstring injury last weekend, while Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park will get their first starts in Wednesday's match against the Queensland Reds. Maro Itoje has been recalled and will captain the team, having led the Lions in their loss to Argentina in Dublin on 20 June. Williams sustained the injury scoring his second try in the 54-7 victory over Western Force in Perth last Saturday and will be replaced in the squad by Scotland's Ben White. Gloucester scrumhalf Williams was the Premiership Rugby Player of the Season, and Lions coach Andy Farrell said his loss robbed the group of an outstanding player. "We've only been together for a few weeks now but his character is everything for a Lions tour you want to have in your group," Farrell told a press conference on Monday. "He's very popular amongst the group so that makes it a little bit tougher for all." Farrell again rung the changes in his team for Wednesday's second tour match in Australia against the Reds at Brisbane's Lang Park. Itoje, who , returns to the second row in partnership with Ollie Chessum at the heart of a new-look pack after hooker Dan Sheehan captained the side against the Force. Fullback Keenan and scrumhalf Gibson-Park, who were both struggling with niggles, will get their first taste of action on the tour in a backline again steered by flyhalf Finn Russell. Keenan had been carrying a calf injury in recent weeks but said the plan was always for him to return for the Reds game. "It's been pretty smooth sailing... and now just excited to get stuck in and get out there with the lads," the 29-year-old told reporters. Jack Conan, the only specialist number eight in the squad, replaces young Englishman Henry Pollock in a back row completed by Welsh openside Jac Morgan and blindside Tom Curry. Farrell said Williams' replacement White and fullback Blair Kinghorn would join the camp later on Monday. In Kinghorn's case, his celebrations with Toulouse had been cut short to join the Lions, days after helping the French team win the Top 14 title. "Here we are now. It's proper touring, isn't it?" said Farrell. "Games are coming thick and fast now. "Not much training out there on the field but plenty of mental preparation." On the 2013 tour of Australia, the Lions beat the Reds 22-12 in Brisbane. Lions: Hugo Keenan, Tommy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Conan, Jac Morgan, Tom Curry, Ollie Chessum, Maro Itoje (captain), Will Stuart, Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter.
