Inter Miami - a low-rated team in the US - surprisingly held Palmeiras to a 2-2 draw in the final match of Group A. Messi and his teammates led 2-0, but were equalized in the last 10 minutes.
This result helped Inter Miami qualify for the round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, as the second team in Group A. They will meet PSG, the UEFA Champions League champion in the next round.
Sharing after the match, coach Mascherano said he was disappointed because the home team had a great chance to win, but could not take advantage.
However, he also emphasized that Palmeiras is a South American team with many quality players. Therefore, he and the whole team will quickly forget this result to aim for the next match.
PSG are rated much higher than Inter Miami, because they are the reigning UEFA Champions League champions. Under the leadership of Luis Enrique, PSG is considered the strongest team in Europe at the moment. Mascherano himself played for Barcelona under Enrique, with the team that won the treble in the 2014-2015 season.
"We know that we will have to face perhaps the strongest team in Europe. It will be very difficult but we will try our best. Inter Miami will try to show their quality and try to prove their worth," Mascherano added.
Inter Miami is one of three US teams participating in this year's FIFA Club World Cup. However, the remaining two teams, Seattle Sounders FC and LAFC, have both been eliminated. Therefore, Inter Miami has more reason to try in the upcoming match.
Its historic for one team in the round of 16. We are one of the 16 strongest teams in the world so we will try to continue, the Inter Miami coach shared.
As for Messi, the captain of Inter Miami, he will meet his former team PSG again in the upcoming match. Messi played for the French national team from 2021 to 2023, playing 75 matches, scoring 32 goals and having 34 assists, winning 3 titles with the team. However, this is not a very successful period in the career of the Argentine superstar.
The Inter Miami vs PSG match will take place at 23:00 on June 29.
