Paris Saint-Germain manager, Luis Enrique, admitted that facing Lionel Messi and Inter Miami proved to be more challenging than the 4-0 scoreline suggested, as the French champions stormed into the Club World Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
PSG took control early on through Joao Neves’ opener and followed it up with three rapid-fire goals before the break, effectively sealing their spot in the last eight.
Despite the dominant first half, Inter Miami, led by former PSG icon Messi, showed resilience in the second half, limiting PSG and threatening occasionally.
“It is difficult to play against players of this calibre, it was difficult, but I think as a team we did an excellent job,” Luis Enrique told journalists after the game.
“There’s a visible difference between the first and second halves… their quality is evident, and I think we deserved the victory.
“It was harder than it may seem, after the first half.”
Luis Enrique praised the form of his squad, who are riding high after a historic treble-winning season that included the Champions League, Ligue 1, and French Cup.
“Clearly, we are experiencing a historic season for our club, we aim to go far in this competition,” he said.
“We are in the quarter-finals, with only eight teams remaining. Our goal is to progress as far as possible and to compete for the trophy. But for that, we need to overcome two more knock-out rounds.
“The season is very long, as it is for all teams, but the motivation to be competitive is there.”
PSG winger Ousmane Dembele shared a moment of nostalgia as he reunited with several former Barcelona teammates now at Inter Miami, including Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, and Javier Mascherano.
PSG defender Lucas Beraldo echoed the sentiment: “Leo is a unique person, to share a game with him was magnificent, I was a kid watching his magic on the television, so it’s unique.”
