A week after securing their spot in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC, the Rouge et Bleu kicked off the knockout stage with a clear objective: book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition. But first, they had to get past the challenge of Inter Miami CF. Luis Enrique relied on his usual central defensive pairing, with captain Marquinhos and Willian Pacho in front of goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes played on the wings, while Vitinha, João Neves and Fabián Ruiz formed the midfield trio. On the wings, Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia supported Désiré Doué up front.
In a red-hot Mercedes-Benz Stadium packed with 65,574 fans, including the Atlanta Supporters Club, the club from the capital came out firing. Barcola struck the first warning shot in the 4th minute after a pass from Kvaratskhelia, but was denied by Ustari. No time to dwell, as just two minutes later, following a free kick on the left edge of the box won by Doué, Vitinha whipped in a cross and João Neves executed his signature move, a perfectly placed header to the far post to open the scoring (1-0, 6’).
The waves kept crashing down on the North American goal: after a slick one-two with Barcola, Hakimi saw his shot blocked (21’), Vitinha's strike from 20 metres was dealt with by Ustari (21’) and Kvaratskhelia's rocket from the edge of the box flew just inches wide (24’), as did Ruiz’s attempt (31’). In between, the Georgian winger was also denied from close range by the keeper (28’).
It was ultimately the Ruiz-Barcola duo that made the difference. After winning the ball near Inter’s box, the Frenchman fed the Spaniard, who found Neves on the edge of the area. The Portuguese midfielder calmly slotted the ball into the net to secure a brace (2-0, 39’). And, true to form this season, Paris wasn’t going to settle for that lead. Hakimi sent Doué down the right wing, who crossed into the six-yard box for Ruiz. Battling for the ball, Avilés accidentally deflected it into his own net with his arm (3-0, 44’). The Floridian nightmare continued and just before the break, Vitinha played a perfect through ball to Barcola in behind the defence. Barcola cut it back to Hakimi, who hit the crossbar with his first shot, but followed up to score on the rebound (4-0, 45+3’).
The 4-0 scoreline would remain unchanged despite further chances for Doué (58’, 70’), Barcola (58’, 69’), and Kvaratskhelia (64’), as well as opportunities for former Parisian Lionel Messi (63’, 80’). One more piece of good news for the Rouge et Bleu: the return of Ousmane Dembélé to the pitch. The winger came on at the hour mark, replacing João Neves.
At the end of a match thoroughly controlled from start to finish, Luis Enrique and his men secured their place in the quarter-finals of the competition. They will face the winner of the Round of 16 clash between FC Bayern Munich and Flamengo on Saturday, once again in Atlanta, and once again at 18:00 (France) / 12:00 p.m. (Georgia, USA).