Joao Neves scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain dismantled Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami 4-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sunday, securing a commanding passage to the Club World Cup quarter-finals.

The French champions wasted no time asserting control, taking the lead in the sixth minute when Neves headed in unmarked at the far post from a well-delivered free kick.

Neves struck again in the 39th minute, finishing off a slick team move as Bradley Barcola combined with Fabian Ruiz, whose precise cross was converted clinically by the Portuguese midfielder.

Inter Miami offered little resistance in a first half dominated by PSG, and the gap widened when Tomas Aviles inadvertently diverted Désiré Doué’s cross into his own net. Achraf Hakimi completed the first-half rout just before the break, reacting quickly to slot home after his initial shot rebounded off the crossbar.

“It was an almost perfect match,” PSG manager Luis Enrique said. “We created a lot of chances, and I’m happy—yet I think we still need to improve. That’s football.”

Messi grew into the game after halftime, seeing a header saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma and later striking a free kick into the wall, as fans cheered in hope of a consolation goal that never came.

Despite the heavy defeat, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano remained optimistic. “I’m very proud of my players. Today you could see the difference in class, but football has given us the chance to compete. This is probably the best team in the world with a great coach, but we took them on,” he said.

PSG, reigning Champions League holders, now progress to the quarter-finals, where they will face Bayern Munich following the German side’s 4-2 win over Flamengo.

Faridah Abdulkadiri

Follow us on: