Messi didn't do much? Lee Kang-in played in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup, and Messi's 20-minute clash with Miami. PSG 40 complete victory.

Jun 30, 2025

There was an emotional scene in which Lee Kang-in (PSG) faced off against Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), the "God of Football".

Even the winner was Lee Kang-in's Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). No matter how many times I 'God of Football' Messi was able to overturn the overwhelming difference in power between the teams.

Messi's personal skills were the best among the 22 players on the ground, but soccer is a sport in which 11 players join forces anyway. The combined power of 11 players was powerful in PSG. PSG is the European champion. In addition to dominating the national league and cup competitions, he also lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy. Inter Miami, which Messi struggled with, was an opponent he couldn't handle from the beginning.

PSG easily reached the quarterfinals by defeating Inter Miami (USA) 4-0 in the round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup held at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, USA early on the 30th (Korea time).

The match drew great attention with the match 'Messi vs PSG'. PSG is Messi's former team. Messi joined PSG in a surprise move in the summer of 2021, shortly after breaking up with FC Barcelona, which once seemed to be involved forever. I formed a super special squad with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at PSG.

However, Messi will break up with PSG after two years and join U.S. Major League Soccer (MLS) Inter Miami owned by David Beckham in the summer of 2023. Over the next two years, it has been reigning as a 'king' that led to the explosive growth of Inter Miami and MLS.

Messi and PSG clashed again in the United States. Club World Cup Round of 16 stage where we met on a single tree bridge. However, Inter Miami's power from the beginning was not a match for PSG. It was not a gap that could be filled with the speciality of one Messi.

PSG took the lead in the first six minutes of the first half when João Neves scored the first header. Neves then scored an additional goal in the 39th minute of the first half. In the 44th minute of the first half, Inter Miami Aviles scored an own goal, and in the first half extra time, Accraff Hakimi scored a net. With a 4-0 lead, Messi lost his head.

Messi tried to move in the midfield with all his might, but it was not enough. In the first half alone, PSG already made an overwhelming difference in the number of shots 10-0. The ball possession rate is 73 percent. It means Inter Miami are almost helpless. Most of the 27% of the ball possession in the first half was held by Messi.

The situation did not change much in the second half. Messi created a meaningful chance in the beginning, but even he failed to score a goal.

Messi provided Luis Suarez with a sensational lobbing pass in the third minute of the second half. But Suarez missed this. Messi rushed in late and tried to score a goal, but it was blocked by PSG's solid defense wall.

PSG continued to strangle itself in the midfield. Lee Kang-in also helped. Lee Kang-in was replaced by Hakimi in the 25th minute of the second half. A midfield match against the historic Messi took place. Lee Kang-in played in front of Messi by showing sharp passes several times in the midfield. However, there was no point of attack. PSG has already made a 4-0 lead in the first half. The second half was enough to show only the gap in power. No more goals were needed.

Meanwhile, Lee Kang-in, who played 20 minutes after the substitution, did not receive a good rating. European soccer statistics company Sofa Score gave Lee Kang-in a 6.7 point rating, analyzing that he had 21 cheek touches, 100% pass success rate (19), long pass once, and shot block once.

There were only two players at PSG who received a lower rating than Lee Kang-in: Willian Pacho (6.6), who went out as a starting center back, and Luca Hernandez (6.4), a defender who was replaced in the 24th minute of the second half.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.