Inter Miami secured a 2-2 draw against Palmeiras in their latest match, ensuring their progression to the knockout stage of the Club World Cup. The American side finished second in Group A with an unbeaten record, making them the only Major League Soccer representative to advance.
The match featured Inter Miami star Lionel Messi, and the team is now set to face off against European champions Paris Saint-Germain, the club where Messi played from 2021 to 2023.
Left-back Jordi Alba praised PSG as “the current best in the entire world.” He expressed his pride in the team for reaching this stage of the competition and acknowledged the challenge that lies ahead.
“I’m proud of the team, and now we’re competing against a top team like PSG,” Alba stated.
“It’s great. For me, they’re playing the best football in Europe, and obviously, it will be a very difficult match, but we’re going to try to compete.”
In regard to the match against PSG, Alba added, “Why not dream of beating the European champions? It will be very difficult. We know the quality of all their players, and for me, Luis Enrique is the best coach in the world. I know him very well.”
He continued, “This is football, and it’s 90-something minutes. Why not dream? They are the ones who play the best football today. They’re very versatile, with excellent wide players and talented midfielders. Overall, they’re the most complete team, in my opinion. We’ll see how far we can go and strive to compete.”
Miami took an early lead against Palmeiras, with Tadeo Allende scoring in the 16th minute. The advantage was doubled in the 65th minute by Luis Suárez. However, the MLS side nearly clinched first place in Group A before conceding two goals in the final minutes, resulting in the match ending in a draw.
