Held by Palmeiras, Lionel Messi Reunites with PSG

ATLANTA, TUESDAY – Two years after leaving Paris, the capital of France, Lionel Messi has the opportunity to face his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup. Despite the challenging path in the knockout stage, Messi has helped Inter Miami make new history in soccer in the United States.

PSG, which holds the title of Group B champion, will face Miami, the runner-up of Group A, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, on Sunday (29/6/2025). This match serves as a proving ground for Messi, as well as for PSG.

Together with PSG, Messi experienced the worst period of his career. He failed to help "Les Parisiens" secure the coveted Champions League trophy. At the end of his tenure in Paris, Messi was "ousted" by a group of PSG supporters for not being able to meet expectations to elevate the stature of the French giant on the European stage.

Despite this, Messi continues to deliver strong performances. He scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 matches while wearing the PSG jersey. Additionally, Messi secured two Ligue 1 titles during his time in Paris.

After two seasons without Messi, PSG has finally been able to etch a new golden ink in the club's history. The 2024-2025 Champions League title affirms PSG's quality as one of the best teams in the world today.

Another interesting thing is that Luis Enrique, the coach who ended PSG's wait for the Champions League trophy, was the last tactician to help Messi win the "Big Ears" trophy. When he was in charge of Barca 10 years ago, Enrique led Messi and his friends to the Champions League title to cement the second treble winner season in Barca's history.

Shay Given, the legend of Newcastle United, stated that Messi certainly never imagined his fate of meeting PSG again after leaving Europe to play in the United States. According to Given, PSG will present a very tough match for Inter Miami.

"PSG are the best team right now. Inter Miami will hope not to meet them early. However, it will be an interesting match even though PSG are much better in terms of quality," Given said in his review on DAZN.

Miami's certainty to meet PSG is based on a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras in the final match of Group A at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Tuesday (6/24/2025) morning WIB. Miami had taken a two-goal lead through a counterattack scheme from Tadeo Allende in the 16th minute, then veteran striker, Luis Suarez, showed off his individual skills and sharpness when the match entered the 65th minute.

Unfortunately, the victory and top position in Group A evaporated in the final 10 minutes of the match due to the negligence of the Miami back line. Paulinho (80') and Mauricio (87') won the second ball in the Miami penalty box before being able to beat Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

With that draw, Palmeiras and Miami both collected five points. The positions of the two teams are determined by goal difference. Palmeiras is entitled to sit at the top of the standings thanks to a goal difference of 5. Meanwhile, Miami has a goal difference of 4.

Miami coach Javier Mascherano lost his smile at the final whistle. He had been beaming when witnessing a goal from Suarez. Nevertheless, he is proud of the performance of his players, who played more than 100 percent of their ability.

"We have made a historic night for MLS (Major League Soccer) to become one of the 16 best teams in the world. I think Miami has set a new benchmark for MLS," said Mascherano in an interview after the match reported on the FIFA website.

Miami is confirmed to be the only representative of the United States in the knockout stage. The Seattle Sounders were unable to compete in Group B as they failed to secure a single point from three matches. Meanwhile, Los Angeles FC has also been eliminated from the competition in Group D after the second match.

Mascherano stated that before the Club World Cup tournament began, many were skeptical about Miami's ability to compete in Group A. Miami, he continued, proved their quality by achieving one victory and two draws.

"Many parties are unaware of the capabilities of this team. Facing Palmeiras, which presented a very intense match from start to finish, we delivered an extraordinary collective performance," said Mascherano.

Meanwhile, Palmeiras will face a “Brazilian derby” against Botafogo in the last 16.

Meanwhile, at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey, Al Ahly and FC Porto delivered the best match of the 2025 Club World Cup so far. Both teams ended the game in a 4-4 draw.

Forward Wessam Abou Ali was the star for the Egyptian team, scoring a hat-trick in the 15th, 45+2 and 51st minutes. Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane also got his name on the scoreboard in the 64th minute.

Porto, one of the best teams in Portugal, demonstrated their collective effort through goal contributions from four different players. They are Rodrigo Mora (23’), William Gomes (50’), Samu Aghehowa (53’), and Eduardo Gabriel (89’).

The draw in New Jersey resulted in the second stalemate packaged by Porto and Al Ahly in Group A. Porto concluded their competition in the 2025 Club World Cup by finishing in third place. Meanwhile, Al Ahly, the most successful team in Egypt, occupied the last position.

"Very, very disappointed not to win. We should have scored five or six goals to achieve the objective of winning the last game. In general, we showed quality with great spirit and hunger to give our best in the three games," Abou Ali told DAZN.