Messi meets PSG in the club World Cup quarter-finals after Inter-Miami victory

Messi meets PSG in the club World Cup quarter-finals after Inter-Miami victory

cnn-Lionel Messi is about to see his former team Paris Saint-Germain after Inter Miami has achieved a 2-2 draw in the game against the Brazilian club Palmeiras and thus the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup has reached.

The exciting course of the game

The gates of Tadeo Allende and Luis Suárez seemed to give Inter Miami the second victory in the group phase. But Paulinho and Maurício ensured the compensation in the last ten minutes and secured the Verdão an important point that also brought them to the knockout round.

The upcoming challenges

Palmeiras now meets another Brazilian opponent, Botafogo in the quarter -finals. Both Miami and Palmeiras ended the group phase with five points, with the Brazilians achieved the group victory due to the goal difference. The Portuguese team Porto and Egypt's Al Ahly were eliminated from the tournament.

voices the trainer

"If someone had told me before the tournament started that we would show such a performance against these teams, I would have signed immediately," Javier Mascherano, the coach of Miami, told Dazn. "I appreciate the team and all players because they gave more than 100 percent. I think it's a historical evening for the MLS because we are among the top 16 teams in the world. The entire MLS can be proud of Inter Miami."

Inter Miami and the competition from Europe

Inter Miami is the only MLS team that made it into the knockout round; The Seattle Sunders and Los Angeles FC have already left the competition. The European champion PSG, in which Messi played between 2021 and 2023, reached the quarter-finals with a convincing 2-0 victory over the SUNDER, achieved by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi.

an expected reunion

In the quarter -finals there is another reunion when Messi, Suárez, Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba meet their former coach Luis Enrique, who led her to the historical triple near Barcelona in 2015. "This success is wonderful for the club, and now we have to compete against a PSG team that will be very strong," said Alba to DAZN. "Let's see if we can keep up. We played competitive in all three games."

A look at the knockout round

"Now we are obviously talking about the champions of Europe. We know many of their players and the coach - with whom I was lucky enough to be able to play; I have always said that he is the best in the world. As soon as the game begins, it is about measuring and defeating yourself. Why not? This is football - let us see how far we can get."

In the meantime, Atlético Madrid was eliminated from the tournament despite a 1-0 win over Botafogo. The Spanish team ended the group phase with six points next to the Brazilians and PSG in Group B, but fell due to the goal difference.

in group A, Porto and Al Ahl separated in a gripping 4: 4 draw, where both teams needed a victory to have hopes for progress. Al Ahly already looked like the safe winner when Pepê equalized for Porto one minute before the end.

PSG meets Inter Miami.