Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami exited the Club World Cup following a heavy 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 in Atlanta.
PSG took full control of the match in the first half, scoring all four goals before the break. Joao Neves opened the scoring in the sixth minute with an unmarked header and doubled the lead with a team goal thirty minutes later.
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Tomas Aviles then scored an own goal to make it 3-0, and Achraf Hakimi added a fourth just before half-time.
With the win, PSG move on to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the Flamengo vs. Bayern Munich tie on Saturday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They are scheduled to remain in the city until the next round.
Despite the result, Inter Miami’s campaign was seen internally as successful, with the team exceeding initial expectations by advancing beyond the group stage.
Following the game, Javier Mascherano commented: “In terms of the tournament, my take of the tournament is we have accomplished the goals we set for ourselves. It was crystal clear that when we are competing, we would be able to do so to a certain level. It’s right in your face, we see it clearly. We have met the expectations set on us.”
Asked about how Major League Soccer (MLS) could narrow the gap with top international leagues, Mascherano replied: “I’m not the proper person to talk about this. People involved in MLS, they know better than me what they have to do to progress in the league and be competitive.”
