Messi will face former club PSG in Round-of-16

Lionel Messi faces a reunion with his former club Paris Saint-Germain after his Inter Miami side reached the Round-of-16 of the Club World Cup with a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras on Monday. 

Goals from Tadeo Allende (16th minute) and Luis Suarez (65th) put Miami on course for victory. But the Brazilian side struck twice in the last 10 minutes through Paulinho (80th min) and Mauricio (87th min) to make sure of their place in the next round. Few expected Miami to make it out of the group, but they now face the European champions.

For Messi, the tie in Atlanta will see him face his old club for the first time since leaving them in 2023. 

Earlier, PSG eased to a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (35th min) and Achraf Hakimi (66th min) scored to help them bounce back from a 0-1 loss to Botafogo in their last Group B outing.

Meanwhile, Miami boss Javier Mascherano was optimistic about his team’s chances in Sunday’s knockout clash. “We know we are going to face the best team in Europe. It will be difficult, but we’ll try to do our best. We’ll try to show our quality and prove our worth,” said Mascherano, a former PSG player himself.

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