Club World Cup: Lionel Messi to Face PSG after Palmeiras Stage Incredible Comeback

• Lionel Messi's Inter Miami will play Paris Saint-Germain in the first knockout round of the revamped FIFA Club World Cup
• The Herons blew away a 2-0 lead against Palmeiras to surrender top place in Group A and set up the PSG clash
• Messi played for PSG for two years and publicly admitted he was unhappy with his spell in France after an unceremonious exit from Barcelona

Lionel Messi will face his former side, Paris Saint-Germain, in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup this weekend.

How Messi's Inter Miami qualified for Round of 16

Messi's Inter Miami played out to a two-all draw against Brazilian side Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras in their last group game on Tuesday morning to qualify as Group A runners-up.

Messi didn't impact the game as expected, but his longtime friend and strike partner, Luis Suarez, came to the fore at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

Suarez set up Tadeo Allende for the opening goal in the 16th minute. The Celta Vigo loanee bore down on goal before slotting calmly past Weverton in the Palmeiras goal.

In the second half, Suarez skipped past a few challenges before unleashing a ferocious shot that Weverton could do nothing about.

Palmeiras, however, clawed their way back in the game with goals from Paulinho and Mauricio, enough to reclaim top spot.

The effect of Palmeiras drawing the game meant that Inter Miami qualified as the runners-up and, in turn, set up a clash against PSG in the Round of 16.

Palmeiras won the group and will face fellow Brazilian side Botafogo.

How PSG qualified for the Round of 16

PSG came into this tournament on the back of winning their first-ever Champions League title after beating Inter Milan 5-0 in the final.

They thrashed Atletico Madrid in their opening game but surprisingly fell to Botafogo in their second game.

Luis Enrique's side bounced back to beat Seattle Sounders 2-0 in the last game to win Group B.

Lionel Messi's time at PSG

This will be the first time Messi will play against PSG since leaving the club in 2023. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner moved to France in 2021 after Barcelona, incredibly, couldn't renew his contract.

He teamed up with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar to form one of Europe's most devastating attacks on paper, but one that failed to deliver in the big games.

Messi featured 75 times under Mauricio Pochettino, scoring 32 goals and providing 35 assists, but couldn't win the Champions League for the Parisians.

Despite his underwhelming time in France, Messi 'completed football' by winning the World Cup with Argentina during his spell at PSG.

The former Barcelona captain admitted that he wasn't happy at PSG and felt Inter Miami offered him a way out.

"I wasn't happy on a daily basis, with the training, the matches. I had a hard time adapting to all that. I felt called to come to Inter [Miami] because it's a club that's growing, very new, with few years as a club," he said in an interview with Apple Music's Zane Lowe.

When is Inter Miami vs PSG?

The game will take place on Sunday, June 29, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, from 7 pm EAT.

PSG manager Enrique will come up against four players he worked with during his glorious spell at Barcelona.

Messi, Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba all started the 2015 Champions League final, which Enrique guided the Blaugrana past Juventus at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany.

Ivan Rakitic, Suarez and Neymar were on target as Barcelona won the game 3-1.

Why North Korea blurred out PSG player's goal

In a related report, North Korea blurred Lee Kang-In's goal vs Atletico Madrid at the Club World Cup.

The South Korean scored a penalty deep in stoppage time to complete the 4-0 win over the Spanish side at the Rose Bowl.

The game was shown four days later in North Korea with the national broadcaster blurring out the player's face and number.

Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.

Source: TUKO.co.ke