PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN coach Luis Enrique said defeating Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on Sunday was trickier than it seemed despite the French side’s 4-0 Club World Cup last 16 triumph.
Joao Neves’ early strike sent PSG ahead and then they scored three more in a flurry before half-time to take an unassailable lead.
Former PSG and Barcelona star Messi impressed in the second half as Miami battled well but could not find a way through.
“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 reporters.
“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.”
The Spanish coach said his PSG team, who won the Champions League, Ligue 1 and the French Cup to claim their first ever treble, are in spectacular form and are hoping to triumph in the United States.
“Clearly, we are experiencing a historic season for our club, we aim to go far in this competition,” continued Luis Enrique.
“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 said he was “glad to see” Messi and his former Barcelona team-mates Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Javier Mascherano. “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,” said PSG defender Lucas Beraldo.
‘Reality’ hits
Inter Miami coach Mascherano said he was pleased with his team’s performance at the tournament despite their eventual thrashing by PSG.
“We achieved the goal we had set for ourselves, we were very aware that we could compete up to a certain level, and today reality has shown that,” Mascherano told reporters.
“I am very proud of my players, of the work they did in the competition (…) we tried to show in each match what we could do. The gap is what it is, but I am very proud of them.”
Mascherano said his Argentine compatriot Messi was able to show his quality despite the defeat.
“I think Leo played a great game, within the options we had. In the second half, we found him much more. In the first half, we couldn’t due to Paris’s pressure,” said the coach.
“They slowed their tempo in the second half, and we were able to show what we usually do in MLS (Major League Soccer).”
Despite PSG being arguably the best team in the world at the moment, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was filled with Inter Miami shirts, mostly with eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi’s number 10 on the back.
“PSG is in great form, champions of everything, but people still pay for a ticket to see Leo Messi, even at 38 years old,” added Mascherano.
