JOAO Neves scored twice as Paris St-Germain demolished Inter Miami to reach the quarter-finals of the Fifa Club World Cup.
The European champions were always expected to brush off the team who sit sixth in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference – and so it proved.
Neves stooped down to head Vitinha’s free-kick in from close range for their sixth-minute opener in Atlanta.
The Portugal midfielder got the second goal too in the 39th minute when he slotted in to cap off a fine passing move involving Bradley Barcola and Fabian Ruiz, who also had a goal disallowed himself for offside.
PSG added two more before half-time as Desire Doue’s cross was turned into his own net by Tomas Aviles, before Achraf Hakimi slammed a fourth in added time after his initial effort had been deflected on to the bar.
The French champions eased up in the second half, shutting out their old boy Lionel Messi, who had a couple of chances for Inter Miami.
PSG will play Bayern Munich or Flamengo in Saturday’s quarter-final.
The best European club are de facto the best club in the world – proven by the 5-0 Champions League final win over Inter Milan – but Luis Enrique’s side would like that in writing.
When Hakimi bagged in first-half injury time it felt as if PSG could have gone on to score eight or nine. But they took the sensible option by bringing off two key players – Ruiz and Marquinhos at half-time – and conserving their energy for Saturday’s tie against tougher opposition.
They were also boosted by the second-half return of top scorer Ousmane Dembele following the injury which kept him out of the group games.
The 20-year-old Neves is one of the world’s best young midfielders – but he is not prolific on the goal front. He had only scored nine in his career before this double – his first club strikes since March. If he can add scoring to everything else he does, there will be no stopping him.
Neves is also bidding for a remarkable trophy haul this summer, having already lifted the French league and cup, Champions League, and Nations League with Portugal.
And a special word for footballing great Messi, who may have been playing in front of a global audience for the last time in his career.
The 38-year-old Argentine, who has not yet committed to playing on until next summer’s World Cup, showed flashes of his best at times and had four efforts, two on target.