Inter Miami ties Palmeiras 2-2, advances to Club World Cup Round of 16, will play PSG
On the eve of Lionel Messi’s 38th birthday, more than 60,000 fans at Hard Rock Stadium watched in amazement as his Inter Miami team took a 2-0 lead on Brazilian great Palmeiras, and then held their breath as Palmeiras tied it 2-2 in an entertaining Club World Cup match.
Both teams advanced to the Round of 16 with the draw. Palmeiras won the group and will play Brazilian rival Botafogo on Saturday in Philadelphia. Miami, exceeding expectations, finished second and will play Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain at noon Sunday in Atlanta.
The upcoming game has many intriguing story lines, as PSG is Messi’s former club and its coach, Luis Enrique, is the former coach of FC Barcelona, where he had a major influence on Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, and Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano, who considers Enrique a mentor and close friend.
“We achieved the objective we set for ourselves at the start of the tournament, which was to qualify for Round of 16; unfortunately, we had the game in our hands and we were unable to hold on...the opponent, down 2-0, took more risks and made it more difficult for us to defend,” said Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano. “It would have been a great prize for this group of players to win the group.
“Now, despite the fact that we’re facing arguably the best team in Europe, the Champions League winners, we’ll try to approach it with the same humility, the same seriousness, and try to put on a great performance and see what our chances are. If there’s one thing this sport has shown us, it’s that anything can happen in a match. Who’s to say that Sunday won’t be our day?”
Tadeo Allende scored the first Miami goal Monday night and Luis Suarez the second. Palmeiras closed the gap to 2-1 with a goal by Paulinho at the 80-minute mark and Mauricio scored the equalizer in the 87th minute.
“The important thing is that this team was able to compete at the high level of this Club World Cup,” said Suarez, who was named Man of the Match. “We left a good impression, showed that we are competitive and that is good to show what MLS can do. It’s a good message that the league is growing.”
Inter Miami is the only MLS team still standing. The Seattle Sounders lost all three games in a tough group that included PSG, Atletico Madrid and Botafogo; and LAFC lost its first two games and cannot advance.
“It was a historic night for MLS because we are into the best 16 teams in the world, so I think all of MLS has to be proud of Inter Miami,” Mascherano said.
Brazilian soccer fans have been packing Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro for Club World Cup watch parties since the tournament began, and Palmeiras fans brought their carnival atmosphere to Hard Rock Stadium Monday night for the decisive Group A match against Inter Miami.
The smell of grilled Brazilian steak filled the air in the parking lots before the match. A sea of green filled the east side of the stadium and there were a lot of green shirts mixed with Inter Miami pink No. 10 jerseys throughout the building.
Miami’s “La Familia” supporters’ groups cheered from the west stands with their banners and drums and went wild at the 16th minute, when Suarez tracked a long pass from the back and fed a streaking Allende, who made a calm finish to give Inter Miami a 1-0 lead.
Inter Miami dominated possession 59 percent to 41 percent in the first half, Palmeiras took 10 shots, but just one on goal, and Miami hung on to a 1-0 lead at intermission.
“I take responsibility for everything that went wrong in the first half,” said Palmeiras coach Abel Ferreira. “Miami had control; we were not able to pressure them. We lost our timing. We when conceded the first goal, we were not expecting that. It was tough after the first 15 minutes. But this group has soul, heart, and was inspired by the fans. In the locker room at halftime, I told the team it was impossible to be worse than we were in the first half.
“The second half we were more dynamic, took risks, and were able to reach our objective, to win the group.”
Suarez doubled Miami’s lead in the 65th minute. The 38-year-old Uruguayan, who has struggled to score through much of this season, got his first goal of the tournament when he cut onto his left foot and launched a rocket of a shot that brought back memories of his younger days.
Asked if he felt redemption after facing criticism this season, Suarez said: “As players we have to learn to deal with criticism day to day and stay on course, driven by our competitiveness. I hope that competitive spirit is contagious with my teammates. Not only me, but Leo (Messi), Jordi (Alba), Busi (Sergio Busquets) and Oscar (Ustari), with our age, we have the experience and talent to keep competing at a high level.
“Physically, sometimes it’s harder for us, but our heads, with the intelligence we have from the trajectory of our career, works quicker than others and we try to use that to our advantage on the field.”
Hard Rock Stadium drew a large, lively crowd of 60,914 on Monday after averaging 60,626 fans through the first four games.
Both teams aimed for a win to secure first place in the group, but a tie was enough to send both through to the Round of 16 next weekend. FC Porto and Al Ahly played simultaneously in the other Group A match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and their game ended in a 4-4 tie.
Inter Miami’s Starting XI had two changes from the Porto game: Tomas Aviles started at center back in place of injured Ian Fray and Fede Redondo started instead of Benja Cremaschi in the midfield.
The lineup: Ustari, Marcelo Weigandt, Aviles, Maxi Falcon, Noah Allen, Allende, Redondo, Busquets, Telasco Segovia, Messi, and Suarez. Jordi Alba came on the bench for the second game in a row as he is making his way back from a leg injury. Cremaschi, Fafa Picault, and Baltasar Rodriguez replaced Suarez, Redondo and Allende late in the second half.
Palmeiras’ starters included: Weverton, Murilo, Gustavo Gomez, Joaquin Piquerez, Marcos Rocha, Raphael Veiga, Lucas Evangelista, Richard Rios, Jose Lopez, Facundo Torres and 18-year-old Estevao, who is headed to Chelsea after this tournament. The English club reportedly paid a $39.3 million transfer fee with another $26.6 million in performance-based incentives.
Palmeiras, which is based in Sao Paulo, is Brazil’s most successful domestic club with a record 12 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, four Copas do Brasil, one Copa dos Campeões, and one Supercopa do Brasil.
Among the guests at the stadium were some Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers players, who appeared on the field at halftime along with the trophy a day after the championship parade in Fort Lauderdale.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 9:02 PM.