Final Score

What was billed as a marquee Round of 16 clash in the Club World Cup quickly turned into a one-sided demolition by Paris Saint-Germain. The French giants dominated and humiliated Inter Miami, FIFA’s handpicked MLS representative, with a crushing 4-0 victory.

In a way, the result wasn’t surprising. After all, this was the reigning European champion, backed by Qatari wealth, against an aging, unbalanced squad constrained by MLS salary rules.

But the manner of the dominance was staggering.

Even at 1-0, PSG’s superiority was overwhelming. In the first half alone, they scored more goals (four) than Miami completed passes in the attacking third (three), per Opta. PSG created six "big chances," while Miami failed to register a single shot.

It wasn’t a historic thrashing like Bayern Munich’s 10-0 over Auckland City, but it was total control in every area of the pitch. Achraf Hakimi pushed forward to intercept passes from goalkeeper Oscar Ustari. PSG’s midfield suffocated Miami’s brightest young talent, Telasco Segovia. Federico Redondo was constantly dragged out of position by PSG’s attackers, while Willian Pacho and Nuno Mendes shut down Tadeo Allende—and even Lionel Messi.

Yes, Messi himself was outmatched. He produced one moment of magic—a sublime floated through ball to Luis Suárez—but the Uruguayan squandered the chance. For the most part, the two former Barcelona stars looked slow, past their prime, and often invisible.

"We saw the difference between the teams," admitted Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. "We’re proud of the effort, but PSG is probably the best team in the world."

From the opening whistle, PSG pressed high and forced Miami to play out from the back—a tactic the MLS side often uses domestically. But against one of the world’s best defenses, their short passes couldn’t even reach midfield. With no alternatives, Miami resorted to long balls, but they had no target. Ustari booted hopeful clearances, only for PSG’s defense—with João Neves pulling the strings—to reclaim possession and attack again.

Neves opened the scoring after just five minutes, nodding in from a set-piece. The rest was merely confirmation of an unassailable gulf in class.