Luis Enrique’s PSG Shows No Mercy to Messi

Head down, arms crossed, stewing after each goal from PSG. Up to four in the first half. A beating rarely experienced in his career. Messi is not accustomed to such thrashings. A complicated situation for someone who has almost always faced a battered goal.

4

Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi (Lee Kang-In, min. 69), Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes (Lucas Hernández, min. 68), Marquinhos (Beraldo, min. 45), Fabián Ruiz (Warren Zaïre-Emery, min. 45), João Neves (Ousmane Dembélé, min. 61), Vitinha, Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Bradley Barcola

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Óscar Ustari, Jordi Alba, Maximiliano Falcón, Marcelo Weigandt, Noah Allen (Tomás Avilés, min. 18), Sergio Busquets, Tadeo Allende, Federico Redondo, Telasco Segovia (Benjamín Cremaschi, min. 75), Lionel Messi, and Luis Suárez

Goals
1-0 min. 5: João Neves.
2-0 min. 38: João Neves.
3-0 min. 43: Tomás Avilés.
4-0 min. 47: Achraf Hakimi

Referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio

Yellow Cards
Tomás Avilés (min. 19),
Marcelo Weigandt (min. 42),
Luis Suárez (min. 73)

Messi and Inter Miami were overwhelmed by the powerful pressing and ball movement of PSG under Luis Enrique. The European champion showed no mercy to the number 10 and his teammates. They were steamrolled with a spectacular start, full of takeaways and imbalance. In the second half, Inter allowed no more goals: the Parisian team relaxed. The second half reaffirmed that Messi respected one of football’s most sensitive codes. He remained on the field the entire match despite the humiliation of the first half. It was more important to defend pride than the result. Messi, Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Luis Suárez played the entire match.

The four, like Mascherano, the coach of the Miami team, found themselves defending amidst all that they had once dominated as Barcelona players. Without the ball, chasing it like few times in their long and successful careers; trying to cover spaces. All were surpassed by the same stylistic culture, with some nuances, with which they conquered the treble in 2015 under Luis Enrique at Camp Nou. Messi experienced a reality check as a member of a club in this World Cup. With Argentina, it’s different. He plays surrounded by players with skill and talent who compete in Europe. In Inter Miami, the talent is him, but there are no legs to withstand a European champion’s onslaught. More than 60,000 Inter fans who gathered at the majestic Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta also faced reality. They arrived at the stadium convinced that with Messi, there wouldn’t be such a gap to compete under those conditions against such an authoritative and smoothly running team like PSG. But the gap was enormous, even with Messi on the field. It was evident from the first long kick aiming for the sideline near the corner flag that Luis Enrique used to intimidate and send a message to the opponent that he wanted to take the ball high up.

No team tried harder to turn every match into a fight for a cheap and scolded goal than PSG. Whether it was the goalkeeper or a defender, they stole the ball near the area and attacked instantly. The play was jarring, especially if the kicker sent the ball out of play as happened against Inter Miami.

Messi and his companions could do nothing against a PSG that ignited first through Kvaratskhelia and then with the finesse of Vitinha. He delivered a tight, curved cross to the far post that João Neves smashed home. It’s uncertain whether Vitinha does anything wrong related to football. Perhaps due to his size, aerial duels, which he competes for even if just to disturb, or positioning himself well for loose balls. There was no one with the Portuguese midfielder.

A torrent of shots

The Inter Miami defense barely noticed the movement. The goal was the first big sign of where one team stands and where the other does in terms of competitive level. Luis Suárez couldn’t believe it, covering his eyes to signal to his teammates that they should have seen Neves’s run. The goal eliminated any glimmer of excitement because it led to a torrent of play and shots from PSG. It’s interesting to see PSG with three pure dribblers commanding their attack: Doué, Barcola, and Kvaratskhelia. In this highly pressured game to steal the ball, dribbling is becoming increasingly valued not just near the area. Defenders and midfielders who have one-on-one skills and know how to use them to break the opponent’s pressing lines are becoming highly sought after.

Luis Enrique’s attacking trio was too much for the Inter defense. For how often they were outplayed and how decisive the PSG trio was in suffocating Inter. Despite being dribblers, all three have good feet and speed to associate near the area. Steal, quick pass, and second goal, pushed in easily by João Neves. The assist came from Fabián, another who clearly showed he was above any midfielder. An own goal by Avilés and Hakimi sealed the deal for the European champion.

The second half was just to see how Messi managed one of the great codes: a captain does not fade when his team is being thrashed. He also had the pride to show his class. He created a backheel pass and threaded a couple more trademark assists. He sparked excitement among the thousands of fans wearing jerseys with his name.