What Lionel Messi Said About Inter Miami Losing to PSG at Club World Cup | OneFootball

PSG booked their spot in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals with a dominant 4-0 win over Inter Miami and their former star Lionel Messi on Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

All four goals came in the first half, allowing PSG to take complete control early and comfortably see out the second half against the MLS club. João Neves was the star of the match with the midfielder scoring two of the four PSG goals.

Neves put PSG in front less than 10 minutes into the match, heading in at the back post after a well-placed free-kick from Vitinha. Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari had no chance as Neves slipped in unmarked to finish.

PSG doubled their lead in the 39th minute, capping off a stretch of sustained pressure that Inter Miami had trouble dealing with all half.

Neves struck again just before halftime, this time finishing off a smooth team move. Fabián Ruiz unselfishly squared the ball across the box, setting up the Portuguese midfielder for a simple tap-in.

Lionel Messi talks loss to PSG

Megan Briggs/Getty Images

After the four-goal loss to PSG, Messi spoke about the defeat to DSports’ Marcelo Benedetto on Sunday.

“Well, the idea was really just to try to compete, to be up to the level of what this meant. I don’t know if people expected this from us—especially considering how we got to the Club World Cup and the group we were drawn into—but I think, like I said before, we were up to the challenge, we gave everything, and that has to serve us going forward for what really matters to us, which is what’s coming next…

“Today we faced a team, like I said earlier, that just beat Inter in a Champions League final—I can’t remember if it was 4–0 or 5–0. And right now, they’re the best team in the world, no doubt. So it was only natural that what happened today happened.”

PSG will now focus on Bayern Munich, who they faced in the league phase of last season’s UEFA Champions League. The Parisians were far from the team that they were in the knockout stage, so Luis Enrique and his team will be looking for revenge in this contest.