PSG too good for any Messi magic as they show off their FIFA Club World Cup credentials

PSG became the second side to secure their place in the final eight of the FIFA Club World Cup, making light work of Inter Miami in Atlanta.

Pre-match, all the talk had been about Lionel Messi and if he could conjure up something special to inspire the MLS side against his former employers, but in truth, he wasn't even given an inch in a dominating display by the European champions. 

Within five minutes of kick-off, PSG had taken the lead, and after that, it was only a matter of how much punishment they wanted to inflict on the MLS side. 

In the end, it was 'only' four goals, but here are three things we learned watching Luis Enrique's side move into the quarter-finals. 

PSG are the side to beat? 

It's no secret that PSG are the best team in Europe right now - they are Champions League winners, after all - but their first-half display showed just how very good they are. 

Yes, they were playing a team who, with no disrespect, are far below the level of Luis Enrique's men, but it could and should have been a cricket score before the break. 

The slick movement and link-up play were fully evident as PSG cut through Inter Miami time and time again, and was a stark reminder of what they did to Atletico in the first game and their win in the Champions League final. 

They made it look like a training game at times and Miami barely touched the ball in the first forty-five minutes. The only disappointment was how they took their foot off the gas in the second period, when it looked, at halftime, that we could be in for a repeat of Bayern's rampant win over Auckland. 

Proceed with caution, because the Parisians look like the team to beat.  

PSG Paris Saint-Germain Klub-WM Club World Cup

Demeble is back to boost talented squad 

To further press their claim as Club World Cup favourites, PSG had the luxury of unleashing Ousmane Dembele into the tournament as a second-half sub against Miami.

The French star, who's in the running for this year's Ballon d'Or, was ruled out of the group stage with a thigh injury, but it now looks as though Luis Enrique will be able to call on him for the last eight of the competition. 

The fact that they've not struggled in his absence is another sign of just how good this PSG side is, with Joao Neves popping up with his first-ever brace in this victory, but with him in the team, it really make the European champions unstoppable. 

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There's only so much Messi magic left 

The tournament was lit up by Lionel Messi's free-kick against Porto, as we all revelled in that Messi magic once again. 

However, the truth is that against the very best, that magic is on the wane, in what was probably his final outing on the global stage. 

Having turned 38 this week, his age was exposed against the young, talented PSG side and without the right players around him to cover for what he can no longer do, Messi was a bystander for most of the game. 

There were flashes of his quick feet and turn of pace we're all so familiar with, and one glorious ball for Luis Suarez, but even 'the G.O.A.T.' couldn't find the answer anymore. 


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