Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi is set for an exciting reunion with his former club Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup, as both teams advanced to the knockout stage on Monday.
Miami managed a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras, finishing second in Group A, while the Brazilian side clinched top position after staging a comeback from two goals down.
The next challenge for Miami is an all-Brazilian showdown against Botafogo, who secured their spot in the knockout stage despite falling 1-0 to Atletico Madrid, leaving them second in Group B at the expense of the Spaniards.
European champions PSG topped their group with a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders, setting the stage for this intriguing clash with Messi and the surprising Miami outfit.
With goals from Tadeo Allende and Luis Suarez, Miami looked on track for a second tournament victory following their unexpected win against Porto.
However, Palmeiras equalised with two late goals from Paulinho and Mauricio at Hard Rock Stadium, ensuring their progression.
Suarez, Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Miami coach Javier Mascherano are also facing their former coach Luis Enrique, who led them to a treble during his time at Barcelona in 2015.
“They are the champions of Europe. I know many of their players and their coach, who I was fortunate to have, and I’ve always maintained he is the best in the world,” noted Alba.
“I’ll reconnect with good friends there, but once the match begins, we’ll focus on competing and trying to win; why shouldn’t we be able to?”
Mascherano expressed that Miami’s advancement is a significant moment for Major League Soccer.
“This is a historic night for MLS, as we’ve made it into the top 16 teams in the world. All of MLS can take pride in Inter Miami,” he said.
Porto and Egypt’s Al Ahly were both eliminated after a dramatic 4-4 draw, which wasn’t enough for either to surpass Palmeiras or Miami.
PSG returned to form after an unexpected defeat to Botafogo, comfortably defeating Seattle.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Achraf Hakimi netted goals before and after half-time, allowing the Ligue 1 champions to advance as group winners, thanks to Botafogo’s last-minute loss to Atletico Madrid in Pasadena.
“It wasn’t easy because the pitch conditions differed greatly from what we’re used to in Europe, so we couldn’t play with the fluidity we prefer, but we adapted,” said PSG coach Enrique.
Ousmane Dembele, PSG’s top scorer, sat out for the third consecutive match due to injury despite travelling with the squad.
Atletico Out
Atletico Madrid’s 4-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in their opener meant they required a decisive win against Botafogo to go through.
Antoine Griezmann, the former France international, scored the only goal of the match in the 87th minute, converting a cross from Julian Alvarez, but Atletico’s victory ultimately proved inadequate.
“We’re disappointed not to qualify – we finished with six points,” said Atletico coach Simeone after the match.
“In the end, we were punished as it wasn’t sufficient.”
Atletico needed a favourable two-goal margin and expressed frustration over missed penalty appeals.
“I’ve never encountered anything like it; frankly, I believe we should have been given two penalties,” lamented winger Giuliano Simeone, who is the coach’s son.
On Tuesday, already qualified Bayern Munich face Benfica while eliminated Auckland City take on Boca Juniors in Group C, with one more last 16 position up for grabs.
Meanwhile, Chelsea of the English Premier League will challenge Esperance Tunis, with the winners advancing alongside Flamengo, who are set to clash with Los Angeles FC.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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