Club World Cup PIX: Messi & Co. Set For PSG Showdown

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June 24, 2025 17:40 IST

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Lionel Messi will lead a quartet of former Barcelona players into a meeting with their former coach Luis Enrique when Inter Miami face European champions Paris St Germain in the last 16 of the Club World Cup in Atlanta on Sunday.

Miami

IMAGE: Inter Miami CF's Luis Suarez scores their second goal against Palmeiras in the Club World Cup at Miami Gardens in Florida. Photograph: Marco Bello/Reuters

European champions Paris St Germain advanced into the knockout stage of the Club World Cup as Group B winners with a 2-0 victory over hosts Seattle Sounders.

The Ligue 1 champions, who suffered a shock defeat by Botafogo on Friday, will met Lionel Messi's Inter Miami in the last 16 in Atlanta on Sunday. 

Miami qualified for the pre-quarterfinals as Group A runners-up with a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras on Monday. Palmeiras face fierce rivals Botafogo in an all-Brazilian clash for a place in the quarter-finals.

For PSG, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi scored.

 "It's a happy day. It feels good," said PSG midfielder Joao Neves. "We are going to Atlanta ... we will try to put our idea into the game no matter what team we are playing against."

Seattle, who needed to beat PSG by a margin of three goals or more to even stand a chance of progressing, exit the Club World Cup winless after three games played in their home stadium.

PSG broke through in the 35th minute moments after the ball was cleared following a corner but fell to a wide open Vitinha on the edge of the box. Vitinha's strike was headed off target but bounced off Kvaratskhelia's back and into the Seattle goal.

They doubled their lead in the 66th minute after substitute Bradley Barcola drove into the area and, after an over-commitment by five Seattle players, spotted a wide open Hakimi who easily finished into the back of the net.

PSG

IMAGE: Seattle Sounders' Jon Bell and Paris St Germain's Senny Mayulul vie for the ball. Photograph: Agustin Marcaria/Retuers

In another match, Al Ahly and Porto shared a 4-4 thriller in their final game at the Club World Cup but both will head home after Miami and Palmeiras drew to progress to the round of 16 from Group A.

Palestine striker Wessam Abou Ali scored a hat-trick and Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane also found the net for the Egyptian champions but Porto pegged them back every time they went ahead.

Teenagers Rodrigo Mora and William Gomes, substitute Samu Aghehowa and Pepe all scored for the Portuguese club as both teams all but abandoned defending in search of goals that might keep them alive in the tournament.

In the end, though, a draw was not enough for either side and the 2-2 stalemate between Inter and Palmeiras in Miami was enough to render all of the many other permutations null and void.

"I'm very sad, very, very sad," said Abou Ali. "I feel like we should have scored maybe five, six goals in the end, the opportunity was there to at least win the game and score some goals."

Both teams came into the match played in suffocating heat at Metlife Stadium without a goal from open play in the tournament but they made up for it in a sometimes frenetic contest.

Al Ahly missed a host of gilt-edged chances, however, and Pepe ensured the honours would be shared when he drilled a shot from the edge of the box past Al Ahly captain El-Shenawy a minute from time.

"I think the game in the second half was not a normal football game anymore," said Al Ahly coach Jose Riveiro.

"A good show for the fans, I guess, a lot of goals. Not the result, obviously, that we were looking for, because we wanted to go through."

Al Ahly

IMAGE: FC Porto's Pepe scores their fourth goal against Al Ahly. Photograph: Susana Vera/Reuters

Earlier, Goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez gave Miami a two-goal lead before Paulinho and Mauricio scored in the last 10 minutes to get Palmeiras back on level terms.

Both teams finished on five points with Inter Miami second on goal difference.

"It was a great game from us, it’s difficult to play against one of the best teams in South America," said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, who described it as a "historic night" for Major League Soccer.

"Maybe at the end we had the game in our hands so the feeling is strange but before the start of the tournament if someone told me we were going to have this kind of performance against these kind of teams I would have signed it."

Inter Miami are the only team from MLS to reach the last 16 after both Los Angeles FC and the Seattle Sounders were eliminated.

With the crowd heavily favouring Palmeiras and creating an atmosphere that made it seem like an away game for hosts Miami, the Brazilian side started with intensity, pressing high up the pitch but despite their energy the final ball lacked precision.

Miami struck in the 16th minute when Allende surged past a static Palmeiras defence and coolly slotted home after a 40-metre run.

Suarez

IMAGE: Inter Miami CF's Luis Suarez and Palmeiras' Marcos Rocha in action. Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters

Allende came close again early in the second half, flashing a shot narrowly wide after another quick counterattack, before Messi brought fans to their feet with a dipping volley from distance that sailed just over.

Suarez, quiet for much of the game, made no mistake in the 65th minute as he cut onto his left foot and fired into the top corner from a tight angle to make it 2-0.

Palmeiras pulled one back 10 minutes from time through substitute Paulinho, who guided a low finish into the corner.

 

Seven minutes later Mauricio picked up a loose clearance and fired home from the penalty spot to make sure Palmeiras would keep top spot in the group.

Messi will lead a quartet of former Barcelona players into a meeting with their former coach Luis Enrique when Miami face PSG in the last-16 clash. 

Messi, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez all played under Luis Enrique in Spain, and were in the side who knocked PSG out of the Champions League last 16 in the 2016-17 season.

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